Or rather, I planned to meditate. I cancel those plans upon seeing the ground in front of the altar open. As I wonder whether I'm hallucinating, a fit, sweating female Battlemage pops out of the circular hole, which closes behind her. Her tight face relaxes a bit upon seeing the room, and she walks around to the back of the altar.
"I'm Yang Jianyu. Excuse me, but who are you and what on Earth are you doing here?"
She frowns while pressing some kind of button hidden under the altar's edge. "I know who you are. I'm Lin Yuxin. We are leaving this place."
[Wow, almost Ningxue levels of condescension.]
Though clearly, there's some kind of emergency if she went to all this trouble getting here from a secret entrance.
As I'm pondering on what might've happened, she waves at me to step away from the altar. I hear a gurgling and start to feel as if I'm not in the presence of the Spring anymore. I shudder, realizing what must've occurred for such precautions to be taken.
[The city is in such trouble that the Spring must be transferred elsewhere?]
She strips away the leather mat and opens a small trapdoor underneath, revealing a blue bottle filled with the Underground Holy Spring's exceptionally clear water. Sure enough, she grabs it and starts pushing on a region of square tiles indistinguishable from the others on the wall. It's some sort of password, and it reopens the secret exit.
"I'll answer your questions on the way. For now, we've got to go."
"Deal."
We clamber into the hole and stride to an unknown destination: luckily, the tunnel is large enough for me to stand upright.
"Where does this secret exit lead to?"
"A secluded basement in Tian Lan Magic High. By the way, the tunnel isn't necessarily safe; it was just the only stealthy way of getting in here. If I was followed by the Black Vatican, they'll believe I carry the Spring, so it'll be safer if I leave it with you. Here, take it."
Questions blur through my head. "Sure, if you say so. But what is the Black Vatican doing here? What emergency have they caused? Will they be waiting at the end of the tunnel to ambush us?"
"The Black Vatican has triggered a threat worthy of a Blood Alert. How they did it is complicated, but the point is that a wolf horde under the leadership of a Commander-level Darkwing Wolf is currently attacking the city. We asked all citizens to evacuate to the center of the city, but that's easier said than done when there's a snarling 2 meter tall One-eyed Magic Wolf standing in the way.
"As for whether the Black Vatican will be waiting at the other end, your guess is as good as mine. I don't think I was followed, but you never know when dealing with the Black Vatican. If they are indeed waiting, we'll split off and run. They will most likely come after me, perhaps sending one or two of their men after you, whom I'm sure you'll be able to handle."
"Got it."
…
…
Thankfully, there's no ambush waiting for us in the basement. As we clamber outside, however, whatever relief that instilled in me fades away. I hear nearby howls, doubtless coming from the One-eyed Magic Wolves busy slaughtering civilians.
I want to retch. The walls of the houses, sidewalks, streets. There isn't a single pristine area. Scarlet blood stains are everywhere. It's the Myanmar village all over again.
What could anyone gain from such senseless slaughter? Let alone the adults, the children too? The cute boys and girls with endless energy, running everywhere, chasing each other, their laughter putting smiles on the faces of the working adults. On my own face as well, just over a week ago. Perhaps half of them are now dead, their entrails strewn across the floors of their bedrooms, their limbs in the monsters' gullets.
The deafening roar of a wolf crashes into my eardrums, momentarily ceasing my reverie. I glance at the direction it came from, and a colossal, black, winged wolf is perched atop the dome of the building I was in not long ago, the Silver Commerce Tower. It's the biggest creature I've ever seen.
[The Darkwing Wolf.]
Its sight somehow gives me strength. Instead of wallowing in misery about the lives I couldn't save, I'm better off trying to preserve the ones that I can from monsters like that.
"How exactly did the Black Vatican provoke this horde to start attacking Bo City?" I ask.
"Like I said, it's complicated. Basically, they manufactured the Violent Spring, a kind of medicine that could serve as a counterfeit Underground Holy Spring. Its effects are entirely different from the Underground Holy Spring, however. This kind of Violent Spring can arouse a Magical Beast's wild nature, causing them to lose control and go on a rampage. The Black Vatican somehow sprinkled the Violent Spring into the clouds and waited for a heavy rain to come so the Violent Spring could act as a dreadful catalyst, causing the entire Magic Wolf horde to begin frenziedly assaulting Bo City."
Frenzy. I recall the word I uttered to Zhan Kong a year ago. My guess on an unknown madness-inducing substance was right, but I didn't know the Black Vatican was responsible for spiking the pond with the substance, drying it up after the students found it, and preventing the Battlemages from investigating. Maybe I could have pressed Zhan Kong further, forcing him to look deeper into the matter; there was an entity interfering with regions near the city, after all, so such an undertaking would be reasonable. Perhaps more clues would have been uncovered, and then these children wouldn't be slaughtered in their own homes. I should've emphasized how pertinent the matter was when explaining it to him. I should've…
"Yang Jianyu!" My face sears with pain. Lin Yuxin retracts her outstretched hand and regards me with a stern expression. "It's time for us to leave each other. I'll run off and cause a distraction that'll force the Black Vatican to focus on me, and as long as you avoid the stragglers, you'll be safe on your way to the city's center. Make sure to hand the Underground Holy Spring directly to Chief Military Instructor Zhan Kong and no one else."
She slices off her waist-length hair; it barely reaches her shoulders now. I'm impressed at her resolve, watching her proud figure begin to stride away.
I stop her. "No need for the distraction; just run a distance from here, then start going to the Safe Zone. I'll kill every single filthy piece of garbage that dares stand in my way."
She hesitates, then shakes her head. "The fate of the Underground Holy Spring is in your hands. The fewer Black Vatican members that come after you, the better. We can't let them have it; if it comes down to it, just get rid of it somehow."
"Fine, then. But you had better not be throwing your life away just to ensure one or two less believers of the Black Vatican come after me; I can handle a little danger."
"I wasn't planning on it, of course; I know I can help others if I preserve my own life. It'd be selfish of me to do such a thing."
What strong morals and strict discipline. I could learn a thing or two from her. We nod at each other, and start running in opposite directions.
…
…
After half a minute of sprinting, I've arrived at the source of the nearest howl: a small home with a gaping hole where a wooden wall used to be. I step inside to find debris strewn everywhere, but thankfully no bloodstains are in sight.
When I turn the corner, I find a three meter tall One-eyed Magic Wolf standing in front of a bedroom door. It's bipedal with a humanoid figure, though of course covered with dense muscle, hide, and black fur. Two long arms dangle from its shoulders, boasting claws 25 cm long. It uses them to repeatedly swipe at the wooden door, rapidly shredding it: mere seconds remain before it's able to enter.
Its fur stands on end, and it contracts its towering figure to duck under my slash at its neck. However, as it swerves around to face me, my second sword shears through its throat; I expected my initial ambush to fail and ensured I inflicted a killing blow while it was vulnerable in the process of turning around.
Rough gurgles emanate from its lacerated windpipe, and its frantic death throes slow to a halt as it bleeds out. I step over its corpse and knock on what remains of the ravaged wooden door. "Hello? The demonic beast is dead. I'm moving on to assist other families."
Hushed conversation ensues, but I don't stick around for them to finish their discussion. I run out through the home's new entrance and listen for my next target.
…
…
2 rescues later, my heart drops. The latest howl was near a sweet shop that opened only a couple of years ago.
I sprint there to find its frosted glass windows shattered, its wall demolished, its glass cases housing delicious pastries obliterated. I leap over the counter and enter the shop's back.
Rows of teeth tear into a bloody arm. Its owner is several feet away, missing a chunk of her head and both of her legs. Entrails spill out of a gaping hole where the right side of her abdomen used to be, emitting a nauseating stench. Her remaining eyeball stares at the ceiling, and her mouth remains fixed in a scream that didn't end until her final breath.
I'm rooted in place.
[How close was I? How long ago did she die?]
It's not my fault. It's not my fault. It's not my fault. It's not my fault.
The mantra repeats in my mind endlessly as I dispassionately decapitate the One-eyed Magic Wolf. Its jaws cease chewing on the storeowner's arm.
[No matter what, I have to keep moving. Or else, this will happen to even more people.]
But even as I start running out of the destroyed store, my lips curl and tremble. Tears stream down my cheeks. A deluge of memories rushes through my mind: months of eating cream puffs and laughing with Ningxue and Xinxia. The juxtaposition of those blissful memories with the horrid circumstances is somehow more agonizing than any physical pain I've ever experienced.
Minutes pass by, and as I calm down, my mind stops jumping between horrifying thoughts and evoking sharp emotions. It's just a constant numbness now, and underneath it, a simmering fury directed at the agents responsible for this tragedy.
[Bo City residents, Mingala Kyun villagers. Mom. Dad. As long as I breathe, I won't rest until I avenge every last one of you.]
My feet continue pounding away at the ground, ferrying me to the next wolf howl.
…
…
The formerly bright city is now a deep orange hue, and in another hour or so it'll be dim and gray, only lit by the occasional street lamp on a main road.
I've made excellent progress towards the city center as a result of following the wolf howls; they too seem to be making their way to the center, where their Commander is likely calling for reinforcements. Unfortunately, I peek around the corner and spy one of them. It's a Warrior-level Three-eyed Magic Wolf 7 meters tall, and it has just directed its attention at a shockingly large group of people, mostly students…
[Tian Lan Magic High!]
Zhang Xiaohou, Xu Zhaoting, and Mu Bai are among the students that compose the vanguard; thus, they're the closest to this Warrior and are now its targets. Zhang Xiaohou rapidly aligns 7 bright green stars, casting Wind Trail. His speed increases by an order of magnitude, and he happens to run in my direction to lead the Warrior away from everyone else. Its eyes gleam with derision, and it allows him to run right by him, only chasing him after he's past the corner where I'm lurking. I dash forward to intercept the Warrior, praying my Intermediate spell doesn't fail.
Yes! Light Blessing: Holy Shield! I control the bright yellow circle to cover Zhang Xiaohou's back just as the demonic beast slashes at him, and it barely resists two swipes, shattering immediately afterward. Thankfully, I've already reached him, and I face off against the monster.
"Houzi, run back. I've got this."
"J-Jianyu?! What are you do-" he stammers.
"GO!"
"Okay, okay!"
I breathe a sigh of relief as he scrambles away, even as the Warrior warily gazes at me. I barely resist the urge to tremble in fear; it's my first time engaging a Warrior-level creature, and I'm just a Light Mage! I don't even have any offensive spells. Any other newly advanced Intermediate Mage would be pissing their pants, let alone a Light Mage.
Its caution rapidly wanes as I don't follow up that Holy Shield with any more Intermediate spells. I doubt the physique gap between a Basic Mage and Intermediate Mage is as large as that between a Soldier and a Warrior. My evasion tactics that allowed me to dance around Soldiers as a Basic Mage are greatly limited by the speed and agility of the beast in front of me. Still, I clench my teeth and enter a battle stance, ready to make a move.
And I certainly need to make a move, almost immediately. The wolf's claws screech through the air; I notice its arm muscles flexing and instinctively duck just in time for the paw to whoosh past my head. Luckily, it has overextended itself, not expecting a pitiful prey like me to dodge the blow. I take advantage of its imbalance by lunging at its shoulder, even as it tries to remain upright and swing its other paw at me. I divert the claws with my sword and lunge at its body. It snaps at me with its mouth, and I again swing my sword, this time aiming underneath its jaws to push myself down and its jaws up, dodging the attack yet again. Sheathing my sword, I jump onto its furry torso and quickly clamber up to its shoulder as it tries to shake me off, but it succeeds: I crash onto the ground 10 meters away.
I pretend to be unconscious as it approaches me, and suddenly a dazzling Illuminate: Blindness renders it blind for a brief moment. I swipe at its Achilles' tendon with my right sword. It moves its right foot away in its throngs of agony, but I continue the spinning motion with my left sword with increased momentum, aiming at its left leg. I sever the tendon, causing the wolf to howl in pain and try to run away, falling over when its leg does not cooperate. Even as this happens I'm already chasing it mere meters behind, not giving it any time to realize it should be defending itself with its functional limbs. As it tries to clamber back up, I sink my sword into its neck, severing its spinal cord and killing it.
I sit down, not exhausted but still breathing hard. That was just a Lesser Warrior. If a stronger, Average-level Three-eyed Magic Wolf had come for me, I don't know if I could have killed it, and I'd be unsure of survival against a Greater-level one. My egotistic musings about my combat skills making me the strongest Mage in my level now seem like pathetic jokes.
I regret not having learned how to create bows when I was a toddler; I knew how to craft daggers and spears, but not bows and arrows? They would have been invaluable in the jungle; I'd be able to pick off enemies from afar with little to no risk. Now, even though I have the resources to learn to make one or even just directly buy one, I still chose not to, foolishly relying on my close combat prowess with my cold weapons. Look where that got me: struggling to kill a Lesser Warrior.
[I need a stronger Element as well.]
If I had the Fire Intermediate spell, a Fiery Fist, I would've been able to launch an attack from a safe distance, stagger it, and make it far easier to finish off in close combat.
On the other hand, if I faced off against an Intermediate Fire Mage right now, I would only have two guaranteed blocks of his Fiery Fist to close the distance between us––one block for each of two Light Blessing: Holy Shields I can cast before running out of mana. A higher cultivation than mine would guarantee my defeat if he was practiced at moving while casting. Only a ranged weapon could allow me to turn the tables. I vow to purchase a bow and a quiver of arrows and practice using them after this debacle is over.
I glance up when the cohort of students and teachers have walked over. Zhang Xiaohou crushes me in a bear hug, and I dab up Xu Zhaoting, Mu Bai, and Zhao Kunsan.
"Are you…" Xu Zhaoting trails off, his brows furrowed. "An Intermediate Mage?"
I flash my teeth in a grin. "What, you thought I'd be one of the numpty peak Basic Mages who couldn't break through?"
"Fucking asshole," Zhao Kunsan grumbles. "Aren't you just insulting me in advance? That's probably gonna be me for the rest of my career as a Mage."
Mu Bai solemnly states, "There's nothing wrong with being a peak Basic Mage. Look at our teachers. Look at most Battlemages in this city. Are they not making a difference?"
Zhao Kunsan shrugs, conceding his point by raising his palms up.
As we're all walking, I turn my attention to Zhang Xiaohou. "Are you the scout for this vanguard, Houzi?"
I instantly realize that was a poor query when the other 3 grimace. Uncharacteristically for him, he's slow to respond and anything but enthusiastic. His fists clench, then relax. "... Yes, I am. It was me and Zhang Yinglu, but now it's just me. She saw a Colossal-eyed Rat chewing on a child's body and got so angry that she didn't react in time when another one hiding behind a Volkswagen jumped out and bit through her neck. Man, I know there was nothing I could have done, I was like a hundred meters away, and yet…"
"And yet you feel like it's your fault," Xu Zhaoting finishes, throwing his arm around Zhang Xiaohou's shoulder. "There's a lot of that going around. I'm not going to tell you what you should or shouldn't feel, but just know that we're all here to support you. We'll get through this!"
[I couldn't have said it any better.]
The atmosphere noticably improves, so my attention to the conversation lapses. I glance around the crowd of students behind us, not immediately spying Xinxia. Strange, her wheelchair should make her extremely conspicuous. I turn back to my friends.
"Hey, guys, have you seen Xinxia by any chance? There's a bunch of Mingwu Magic High School students here, so I assumed you swung by."
The ensuing silence causes my stomach to drop rapidly. They wear dark expressions as they glance at each other with increasingly pale pallor, and we all stop walking. Zhang Xiaohou is the first to speak up, grabbing my shoulders and facing me head on. "Jianyu… I'm so sorry! Really! I'm so freaking stupid, dude. With everything that was going on, I still don't know how I forgot about her and Uncle Mo."
Strangely, I can't muster up an ounce of fury against any of them. Or perhaps that's reasonable, not strange. Regardless, an icy calm has settled into my veins, and I quietly ask, "Can any of you remember the last time you saw them?"
Zhang Xiaohou releases me, and Mu Bai answers my question. "I actually asked some of her classmates here about what happened to them. We didn't exactly swing by Mingwu High; they were escaping and happened to run into us. Apparently it was very hectic and everyone was fleeing in different directions due to a monster ambush. As for Uncle Mo, he should be fine; his residential district was cleanly evacuated, according to the reports the teachers have received."
"So Xinxia was there a few hours ago. Thank you, Mu Bai, that's all I need. Good luck, guys."
I don't waste any time listening to their responses; I'm already running full sprint for Mingwu High.
…
…
Nearing Mingwu Magic High 4 minutes later, I'm initially despondent to see it overrun by monsters, but I see trails of thousands of fresh footprints leading away, and scanning furiously, I find signs of a wheelchair tread intermittently, though it's mostly obscured by other footprints. Thanking the heavens her high school was built next to a dirt road, I run along the path of the footprints, finding a huge supermarket where a few of the trails split off and entered. I can't tell whether the wheelchair treads just ended or if the footprints ahead have obscured them.
[Would Xinxia continue on or would she seek shelter in the supermarket?]
After a moment's thought, I head for the supermarket. No matter how noble her friends are, I refuse to believe they didn't have any thoughts of leaving her behind in the chaos; saints like Xinxia are too rare. She's perceptive, and would have picked up on that eventually. I can almost see her say goodbye to her friends, her lonely figure wheeling into the supermarket along with a few of her fellow students.
As I dash into the place, I search for any clues of her trail. There! A wheelchair thread dirt mark, nearly obfuscated by paw prints all over the floor.
[Paw prints?]
As my thoughts race to the obvious conclusion, I feel the air shifting behind my neck. I duck as quickly as I can, but three claws tear open the back of my head, staining the hair there red with blood. I raise my head to take in the beast that landed in front of me: for a Soldier, it's extremely small, mirroring the size and build of a large german shepherd. However, its body is a grotesque black, with rotting flesh and maggots visible all over its skin. Taking a second glance, it seems almost humanoid, especially its decaying head. I've seen these before, 12 years ago. Dark Beasts. I see a dozen more start to surround me.
However, I'm not that weak 6 year old anymore. I have the perfect counter to these monsters. Illumination: Cleanse! The 1st-tier Light Basic spell coils dense yellow streaks of light around my hands, which I fire in all directions. They begin shrieking in pain as their dark and rotting auras are erased, and as they're incapacitated, I decapitate them one by one with flourishes of my sword. Their advantage lies in stealth and sneak attacks due to their affinity with the shadows. Luckily, Light magic is useful for one thing: purifying and killing dark-attribute creatures.
I finish off the last one, eliciting a spray of black blood from its headless corpse, and start searching the area, knowing I'd find the master of these Dark Beasts. Sure enough, a man with half his face melted off steps out from the shadows. It takes me more than a second to recognize the intact half.
"Yu Ang? You're the Gray Priest controlling these beasts? Why is the right side of your face so awful?"
The last question seems to trigger him, and he begins hysterically yelling, "The person who should've entered the Underground Holy Spring is me, it should've been meeeeee! If I gave the Underground Holy Spring to Senior Salan, I would've been able to become a Deacon in the Black Vatican! For this plan, just how many years did I pay? Ten years, for ten years, I have been a dog for that old scoundrel Mu Zhuoyun! I obeyed everything he said, I served him like I would've served my biological father! I obtained his trust just so I could take the Underground Holy Spring that day! In the end, you destroyed my plan of ten years, and caused my current appearance!! Do you know the pain when Senior Salan ordered his men to put my face into the Acid Ghost Water?! Now, I will have you get a taste of that! Not just your face, I will have your entire body bathed in Acid Ghost Water! I will turn you into a slave like my Dark Beasts!!"
[What a blabbermouth.]
I file away the information about "turning into a slave" and "Senior Salan" for later. It seems like he's had contact with the higher-ups of the Black Vatican, so I approach him, knocking him out and shutting him up. However, I notice an earpiece hooked up to his ear, and I transfer it to my own.
"ng. Yu Ang. Come in. Yu Ang! I'll melt off the other side of your face if you continue ignoring me!"
I clear my throat and do my best impression of his higher-pitched voice after switching on the mike in the earpiece. "Yes, sir, sorry sir, I'm so sorry, I brought away the Dark Beasts because I wanted to settle a grudge with the idiot who just walked into the supermarket. It's Yang Jianyu, I killed him!"
"I'll forgive you only if you come to me within the next minute! Wait, did you say Yang Jianyu?"
"Yes, that retard who's so full of himself because he defeated me by luck during the battle for the Undergr-"
"SHUT THE FUCK UP! I don't care about what you think of him! Search his body, do you see a conspicuous bottle of some kind?"
"Uhhhh…. Yeah there's a bulge inside his shirt. Yeah, I see a bottle! Wait, it's filled with the Underground Holy Spring water!"
"Excellent! You might have hope yet for becoming a Deacon. Come to me, I'm waiting by Mingwu Magic High!"
"Uhh, sir, can I clear the supermarket first? That's why I came in, right?"
"Fine, you're right, the Spring is going nowhere. Keep up this more level-headed attitude, you'll get far with it. I'll come find you if you aren't here in one hour, though. And you do not want me to come find you."
"Understood."
[What a moron, I can't believe he fell for that. Is everyone in the Black Vatican this inept?]
Clearly, it's highly suspicious that someone who claimed to have obtained the Spring isn't handing it over to the higher-ups right away. On top of that, Yu Ang went silent for the few minutes he stalked me, so putting those two clues together, it's obvious that the person speaking to him wasn't Yu Ang. He even thought my attempt to finish clearing the supermarket was the sign of an attitude shift! As if searching the market held a higher priority than securing the Spring!
Shaking my head, I head deeper into the supermarket, following the occasional wheelchair dirt scuff mark. I go down a ramp that leads into a dark, cold basement, likely for frozen goods, and I spot a pair of glowing red eyes sniffing something. I quickly align 7 stars to cast Illuminate: Blindness, simultaneously sending the now-revealed Colossal-eyed Rat screeching and writhing in pain while illuminating the object it was sniffing.
It's Xinxia's wheelchair.
For a moment, I freeze in place, fearing the worst.
Then, I realize there's no blood in the area, which would have definitely spilled had the rat eaten her. Hastily running to the still-writhing rat, I stab my sword through its neck. I glance around the area, spotting several enormous freezers scattered across the area, their doors opening in much the same way and direction as coffin lids. I open them one by one, and in the third one rests Xinxia's blue body. Feeling her wrist, I can make out a faint pulse.
I yank her out and slice off all of her freezing clothes, grabbing nearby sheets of cloth and wrapping her up tightly. I dash up the ramp to the warmer upstairs while carrying her, praying I made it in time to heat her back up to normal temperatures.
She must have heard the rat enter the supermarket and prepared to get into the freezer: leaving her wheelchair, lying down inside, and shutting the door once it came sniffing down the ramp. Smart. The freezer blocks both odors and body heat, and she took precautions to ensure she could breathe by placing a straw under the door seal, which was held slightly ajar by nearby metal tools that clattered to the floor when I opened the freezer. I removed the straw from her mouth while running upstairs. She's breathing very faintly.
I wait 10 minutes while her skin slowly purges its blue tinge and returns back to a pearly white. Her lashes begin to flutter, and she gingerly opens her eyes. I nearly cry with relief and hug her even tighter, as she realizes what happened. She does cry, though words fail to escape her mouth.
They're not needed.
…
…
We slowly relax our hug. Gazing at her, I'm suddenly reminded of something.
[She's still wrapped in that cloth from the basement.]
"... Ah, my bad. You wait here, I'll search the store."
Luckily, this supermarket has a section that contains everyday items, including clothes too large for her. Not minding, she dons the baggy shirt and pants while I patrol the store once again.
It feels like hours have passed, but only around 50 of the 60 minutes are up. I carry Xinxia to one of the wardrobes containing several rows of clothes on hangers and place her behind the metal racks, hiding her completely.
I stride back to Yu Ang's body, ensuring he's still unconscious, and give his head another blow for good measure, tossing him into a secluded corner just as I hear muttering coming from the entrance about unreliable subordinates. I silently stalk the constant source of noise, not attacking immediately due to the large creature beside him that I don't recognize.
It's definitely a Warrior, albeit a bit small just like the Dark Beasts. I decide to anticipate his search path and ambush him, crouching next to the shelves as I hear his voice grow closer. My blades are already drawn.
I hear his foot step less than a meter away and spring into action, smacking his forehead with the butt of my sword, knocking him unconscious. The beast next to him, looking like an even more rotten, larger version of a Dark Beast, lunges at me to protect its master, but an Illuminate: Cleanse makes it reel back in pain. It's not incapacitated, however, and swipes its claws at my waist. Neatly sidestepping, I slash up with the sword, sending black blood spurting and an arm flying into the air. Continuing in a fluid motion, I spin around and decapitate it with my other blade before it recovers from the Cleanse and regains its agility.
For the second time, I take a moment to appreciate just how oblivious this guy is. He doesn't have any of the battle sense of an Intermediate Mage; most Battlemages would have reacted to the sudden ambush after sensing the shift in air.
He's facedown on the ground right now. I turn him over to look for identification, revealing sunken eyes and a hawk nose. He carries none, so I toss him with Yu Ang for now. I sit them upright and make their backs face each other, tying their arms together behind their backs with lots of cloth. I hang metal tools around their necks using string to serve as a warning alarm for their rise from unconsciousness.
I let Xinxia out of the wardrobe and retrieve her wheelchair, waiting with her in a corner of the supermarket. I decide to remain here until the calamity is over, going over to the other corner of the supermarket every so often I hear the clamor of metal tools signifying their return to consciousness.
…
…
My eyelids feel heavy, but I scrounge up some caffeine bars and eat them; I'll not be losing this Gray Priest Yu Ang and the hawk-nosed man who appears to be a very stupid Black Clergy.
…
…
20 hours after rescuing Xinxia and ambushing the hawk-nosed man, I hear people enter the supermarket. I run to the entrance and happen to spot Li Wei, an old acquaintance! He gestures at his teammates to relax their guard and walks up to me, crushing my hand in a shake.
"Looks like you were cooped up in this store and managed to avoid getting spotted by monsters, excellent! The major threats have all been eliminated; Chief Military Instructor Zhan Kong chased the Darkwing Wolf out of the city himself."
"Actually, I was searching for my sister and found her next to the freezers in the basement. Before that, though, I took care of two members of the Black Vatican. One of them was controlling Dark Beasts, and the other had this bigger, uglier Warrior-level version. Here, I'll show you."
His jaw drops in disbelief, but my story is confirmed as we step over the corpses of Dark Beasts littering the ground. Upon seeing the pair of unconscious men tied together on the ground, he cuts through their restraints and replaces them with sturdy handcuffs.
"Zhou Liang and Ling Yun, can I entrust you brothers with these two? The rest of us will continue clearing the area while you take them to the Military Headquarters."
"Don't even mention it, Li Wei. I won't let your excellent little brother down; rest assured, we'll take it from here!"
"Indeed, we've got this, Li Wei!"
They enthusiastically drag Yu Ang and the hawk-nosed man away. I watch them, a suspicious glint appearing in my eye that Li Wei notices.
"Hey, don't worry about them. We're life and death brothers: closer than any with real blood links. I know them; they're reliable."
I relax. "Sorry about that. Don't let me hold you back from your duty now, go save more people!"
He winks and leaves with his teammates.
Finally. I'm exhausted from having kept watch over these scums of the earth for so long. I head over to Xinxia, who's still laying down on the bed I made for her out of lots of layers of cloth and clothing. She seems alert, though, and smiles as I crash down next to her, kissing my forehead as I enter a deep slumber.
…
…
I wake up in the same place, my head in Xinxia's lap. She's gently stroking my hair, but she seems slightly upset.
"Xinxia, what's wrong?"
She purses her lips. "You should have told me you were injured! Imagine my surprise when I put your head on my lap that my pants were stained red? 3 deep cuts across the back of your head draining blood constantly? It's a wonder you didn't collapse sooner!"
I remain silent. What can I say? It slipped my mind?
She doesn't harp on the lack of response and instead gives me a level look. "Are you so insensitive that you don't care about my pain, Jianyu? It hurts me when I see you hurt."
I'm cowed, averting my eyes. "No, I do. I'll be more considerate next time." I glance back to view her features relax a bit as she returns to her cheerful self.
"Good! At least tell me next time so that I can heal you."
…
…
The next morning, Xinxia and I make the short trek to the city center; the shelter is just the Military Headquarters being temporarily repurposed. After meeting up with my friends and chatting for a bit, I split off from everyone and head upstairs to find Zhan Kong.
His tremendous figure is easily discernible amongst the crowds of people milling about, standing next to a window with a group of 9 Intermediate-level Battlemages. He's watching the Darkwing Wolf wreak havoc on various buildings that I hope are already evacuated.
Someone informs him of my presence, and he turns to face me.
"I'm glad you're alive. Your death would have been an extra blow on top of all the lives already lost." His boisterous demeanor is gone, replaced by a solemn, chilling aura.
"Apparently, my friends killed Bai Yang."
"Yeah, I heard. Sorry about that, we didn't realize he was part of the Black Vatican until just a few minutes ago. They're trying to get their hands on the Spring, and I think it's because it might be even more effective than the frenzy substance at luring beasts to attack Bo City. Speaking of which, do you have it with you?"
I half-heartedly chuckle, "Actually, I drank it."
He slowly swivels to face me, a vein pulsing in his forehead that belies his calm facial features. "What. Did. You. Say."
I toss the empty bottle to him. "I drank it. Look, I had no choice! Our group came across a Lesser Warrior and I thought we were all going to die. As it was chasing me, I decided it would be better to drink it and have the energy dissolve into my body than let the Black Vatican stumble across my body and pick up the bottle. Luckily, I managed to lose the Warrior after barely evading it over the course of a 4 minute chase."
He shakes his head in disbelief and sighs, relaxing. "Alright, whatever, it was going to dry up in a few years anyway. I'd have your head under normal circumstances, but all that matters now is that the Black Vatican won't be using it to attract more Commanders to the city. Therefore, our only serious enemy is the Darkwing Wolf. Battlemages, with me!"
He and his 9 subordinates start flying away to the colossal wolf: him using his Advanced Wind spell, Wind Wings, and them riding on Heavenly Eagles.
I'm left behind. Of course, I hadn't actually drank the Spring; I allowed Nyx to absorb it instead. It was a calculated risk: there was a good chance Zhan Kong would have gotten upset, but he definitely wouldn't have gone too far, perhaps giving me a punishment of some kind. However, I was really hoping for him to just take it in stride, and he did. Leaving my greedy self with an entire Underground Holy Spring, something normal people at the peak of the Basic stage use to advance to the Intermediate level within one week. He said that it would have dried up in several years. Clearly, the benefits of succeeding far exceeded the consequences of losing the gamble.
Anyway, I decide to go find my friends. Wait, actually, I'll check on Uncle Mo first.
I find him after a few minutes and approach him amidst the crowd. "Uncle Mo! You're safe! Thank goodness."
His face lights up, and he wraps me in a firm embrace, nearly tearing up. "Jianyu… I'm so glad you're alright."
The warm hug relaxes every tense muscle in my body: I feel so secure that I nearly collapse onto him. He chuckles and affectionately ruffles my hair. "You're safe now."
After a few moments, I break away, albeit slightly teary-eyed. In an attempt to divert the topic, I ask, "What's it been like, here in this shelter?"
He flashes a smile. "A vacation like no other! An endless number of people to play card games with. Free food every 8 hours." His smile fades a bit. "20,000 and counting haven't made it here, though. At this point…"
"30% of the city? What the hell?!"
"It's why the government has decided to evacuate us all instead of trying to rebuild immediately. There's free, reasonable lodging in a few cities of our choice for the next 5 years," he explains.
He wears a cheerful expression, but I'm not blind enough to miss the melancholy underneath.
[He's been here his entire life and was one of the most active people in terms of building community, but now his home is going to be completely abandoned and barren.]
I clap my hand against his shoulder. "Looks like we're headed to Shanghai! I'll buy a flat in Shanghai for you, Xinxia, and I to stay in for now, while I try to get enrolled in Pearl Institute, the best University in Shanghai. I'll help Xinxia find another college that'll accept her, and then the flat will be all yours. Don't worry, you won't be lonely; I'll visit as often as I can. Though do give me a text if you happen to bring a lady friend over…"
He cuffs my head lightly. "What nonsense are you thinking about?!"
I cough. "Uncle Mo, don't worry, I completely support you. Don't hold back; use the flat for whatever you need to do."
"You brat!" I dodge the next few playful swings while chuckling.