Chapter 94 – When the Roses Bloom (12)
◎ Another S-level ◎
District D88, Shaye.
Before the apocalypse, it was a somewhat famous heavy industrial city, serving as a satellite city of District C55, Mu City, alongside Xiangang, a city developing the marine industry, and Emerald City, which mined rare ores. It played a role in diverting the population and supplying a considerable amount of resources to Mu City.
Due to the excessive development of industries like steel, petroleum, and chemicals, Shaye suffered severe environmental pollution. The sky was constantly hazy, and the streets and buildings were enveloped in darkness, resulting in very low visibility.
Song Ke and the other three quickly moved forward, occasionally encountering zombies along the way, swiftly dispatching them with their blades.
By this time, it was approaching the early hours of the morning. As they moved closer from the outskirts of Shaye, traces of gunfire and residual smoke could be seen along the way. Various houses destroyed by supernatural powers, roads and bridges blown apart, piles of zombies and human bodies formed small mountains, creating a gruesome and heart-wrenching sight.
As they approached the city center of Shaye, the situation slightly improved. The areas destroyed were significantly reduced. Song Ke’s ears twitched slightly as she faintly caught sounds of people from an abandoned steel plant. She gestured to her companions, and Zhuang Qingyan and the others immediately understood, proceeding cautiously.
They initially thought they had encountered fleeing refugees, but the situation was vastly different from what they had anticipated.
Approximately twenty or so supernatural individuals gathered together, mainly judged to be C-level and D-level based on their supernatural abilities. They were organized, with a rational division of labor, actively hunting down a group of zombie-like creatures following a coordinated command. Various supernatural abilities shimmered one after another, and with everyone’s concerted efforts, the monstrous group was efficiently eliminated. A few ordinary individuals emerged from the group’s rear, skillfully clearing the battlefield and collecting the fallen crystals.
“They’re organized and disciplined, not ordinary refugees,” Zhuang Qingyan analyzed calmly.
After clearing the area, the group of refugees began to head back.
“Let’s follow them,” Zhuang Qingyan said softly, adjusting the wheelchair to a quieter mode.
Lu Xiaoyu’s mechanical arm extended, lifting off the ground and transitioning into a walking mode. Song Ke and Xu Xing held their breath, cautiously trailing behind.
After about half an hour of tracking the refugees, the four of them arrived at a camp. Calling it a camp might not be entirely accurate; while Samuel’s type of establishment might occupy a few large buildings and could be called a camp, the scale of this steel forest before them had reached the standards of a stronghold or “base.” At the top of the outpost in front of the base, two rows of massive, glaring searchlights rotated, leaving no room for any intruders.
With their stealthy agility, even a spy like Su Cha would be injured here. Song Ke became even more cautious, not daring to take anything lightly.
She tightly gripped the spiritual short sword in her palm and took a few slow steps forward. Suddenly, a strong sense of impending danger descended, causing Song Ke’s entire body to bristle with alarm!
Even though she hadn’t touched anything around her, it felt as if she had stepped into an invisible restricted area. The flowing psychic energy swept over them like a tidal wave, grazing above their heads. The two rows of searchlights “click-clicked” accurately towards them, freezing their position in the spotlight.
This was bad; it was a detection-type ability!
Almost simultaneously, a piercing alarm rang out, and over a dozen awakeners leaped down from the outpost, swiftly rushing towards them.
Zhuang Qingyan immediately issued a command: “Xu Xing, take five steps back, and release ice at the ten o’clock position.”
Xu Xing hurriedly ran backward on his short legs, releasing ice shards as directed, slowing down the opponent’s initial assault.
Lu Xiaoyu’s six arms moved in unison, launching a rapid attack with a code wall of 101010, seizing the opportunity to block the opponents’ retreat and attempt to capture them.
Seeing that they could manage, Song Ke cautiously charged into the enemy formation.
Her short sword danced in her hand as she engaged with four or five people in front of her. These awakeners were formidable, and their attacks were ruthless. However, when confronted head-on with Song Ke’s aggressive assault, they found themselves at a disadvantage. She wielded her sword, forcing one of the awakeners to retreat, exerting a dominant awakened energy to suppress them. The opponent hesitated, showing a clear vulnerability, which Song Ke exploited, swiftly toppling them with a kick.
A gust of wind blades came from behind. Song Ke dodged to the side, but just as she avoided it, the ground beneath her began to tremble violently, cracking on both sides. She had to reach out to steady herself. Simultaneously, three other awakeners leaped into the air, hurling numerous dark-colored energy clusters towards her face.
Song Ke’s eyes narrowed. Her spiritual short sword transformed for a second time, extending into a three-foot-long sword, emitting a surging sword aura as she swung it backward.
“Beep-beep—”
Xu Xing’s terminal suddenly lit up. The little guy glanced at it, widened his eyes, and quickly handed it to Zhuang Qingyan.
Zhuang Qingyan lowered his gaze. The voice message from Lin Youyou was extremely urgent.
“Where are you? Su Cha’s awake. He said there’s an S-level awakener in Shaye. Be careful!!”
Song Ke’s sword aura shattered not only the dark energy clusters but also ended the attack from the three awakeners. As they scrambled to fall from mid-air, she seized the opportunity to counter-attack, aiming to strike the enemy’s throat when—
A sudden change occurred!
Thousands of golden runes descended from the sky, encircling Song Ke. In the thick mist, a deep and ethereal chanting began to echo.
“Heaven and Earth’s Mystical Ancestry, the origin of all energy, honed through countless eons, proving my divine abilities.”
In the blink of an eye, the runes vanished, transforming into innumerable golden sword lights, carrying the might of thunder and storm, all directed at Song Ke to strike her down.
“Multitudes of Gods, pay homage, wield the thunder, instill fear in the evil and banish the supernatural beings.”
This was… the Golden Light Divine Curse! These runes were driven by supernatural abilities!
Song Ke’s mind and spirit shook entirely; the power of the supernatural runes was immense and could obliterate anything it struck. Being hit by them was no laughing matter!
The ground continued to tremble under her feet, and the surrounding awakeners were watching her closely. Caught in a pincer attack, Song Ke had no choice but to evasively dodge the omnipresent golden light. She rolled and tumbled into a pile of debris, finding abandoned steel bars. In an instant, she conjured a huge shield to block all those swords. Due to the impact, Song Ke was pushed back for several meters within the debris before managing to halt her steps.
Amidst the dust and debris, a tall man wearing a black Taoist robe, his face obscured within the hood, strolled leisurely.
“Qiong Qi!” the awakeners surrounding Song Ke shouted his name. “These people trespassed the restricted zone and attacked first.”
“Ruan Wenjun sure has many dogs, they all come sniffing after the scent.”
The dust filled her lungs, leaving Song Ke coughing uncontrollably, her face covered in ash and dirt.
The man in the hood remained silent for a moment, then suddenly formed hand seals. His middle and ring fingers touched, index, little finger, and thumb extended and aligned, then split upper and lower. He raised the golden seal to his forehead, and behind him, the thunderous roar of the void once again flashed with lightning.
The second round of rune attack was about to descend.
“No, I can’t let him unleash it!”
Certainly, Song Ke wouldn’t just sit and wait for doom. She thrust her long sword forward, decisively interrupting his hand seals.
Unexpectedly, the man was adept at close combat as well. For dozens of rounds, Song Ke sparred with him. Despite his techniques seemingly inferior, he remained composed, patiently seeking opportunities for a counter-attack.
In the midst of their engagement, Song Ke felt a strange familiarity, as if she had fought against this person countless times.
Harnessing her core strength, she abruptly altered her fighting style, launching a swift upward thrust. The man couldn’t evade in time, and the fierce sword wind tore through half of his hood, briefly revealing the side of his face.
Black hair, black eyes, sharp eyebrows, a distinctive jawline, lips tightly pursed, making him seem unapproachable.
Song Ke’s mind went blank for a moment. “You… are Senior Brother?”
He abruptly stopped, staring at her in silence and vigilance.
Song Ke belatedly realized and hastily used her sleeve to vigorously wipe her face. Just a moment ago, she had fallen into the debris and was utterly filthy. After removing the dirt and grime from her face, she lifted her head, revealing her clean, fair face.
“You are… Song Ke?”
The man stopped drawing symbols mid-air behind his back and slowly called out her name.
Song Ke took a step forward, akin to a nimble swallow, pleasantly calling out again, “Senior Brother!”
Zhang Ci responded, taking off his hood and looking down at her. “It’s me.”
“Everyone, cease your actions.”
He then turned and issued the command, prompting the awakeners to immediately stop.
“It seems Song Ke knows this S-level; we don’t need to fight,” remarked Lu Xiaoyu, retracting his six mechanical arms and calmly returning to his wheelchair.
Zhuang Qingyan lightly tapped the wheelchair with his fingertips and discreetly glanced over.
After Zhang Ci said something, Song Ke began vigorously brushing off the dirt from her body, accidentally choking herself, leading to severe coughing. Zhang Ci reached out to help brush her off.
Zhuang Qingyan’s movement halted abruptly, his dangerous almond-shaped eyes narrowing.
Zhang Ci sensed something keenly, abruptly raising his head to look in the distance, where a man in a wheelchair was staring back.
“Your person?” Zhang Ci asked.
“Huh? Yes, he’s mine, a companion,” Song Ke replied, turning her head to happily wave Zhuang Qingyan and the others over.
Zhang Ci’s gaze returned to her. “Why are you here?”
Song Ke recalled the incident with Su Cha, about to speak, when another group jumped down from the watchtower, emanating a chaotic psychic disturbance. Astonishingly, they were all A or B-level awakeners. The leader among them yelled arrogantly, “Where’s Ruan? Hurry up and die!!”
As they approached, these individuals abruptly hit the brakes, their faces shocked as they looked towards Zhang Ci and Song Ke.
“Oh my, I’m not dreaming, am I? Is this an illusion?”
“You, Junior Sister!” Mo Yan, who was shouting earlier, leaped in front of Song Ke, excitedly pinching her face, only to receive a disdainful punch from Song Ke.
All these people were the elites taken from Yue Mountain Martial Arts School by Zhang Ci at the time, originally headed to participate in the Azure Pheonix assessment. After the apocalypse, they lost contact and unexpectedly encountered each other today.
Song Ke, with a serious expression, brought up the matter at hand, “Senior Brother, why did you injure Su Cha?”
“Who is Su Cha?” Zhang Ci asked in response.
“Su Cha is my companion, skilled in concealment. He returned from Shaye yesterday, heavily injured.” Song Ke gestured to the wound on her abdomen.
Several of the first awakeners who had jumped down spoke up, “Qiong Qi, is she talking about the person who appeared simultaneously with Ruan’s spy?”
“That guy’s quite a fighter; we couldn’t stop him. It was you who personally intercepted him,” another said.
Song Ke was taken aback. These people referred to Zhang Ci as “Qiong Qi.”
Could it be that Zhang Ci, her Senior Brother, was the same Qiong Qi, the leader of the refugees in Shaye, the one who had the three warlords and generals in a bind?
Zhang Ci quickly remembered the awakener he fought against yesterday.
“I’m sorry; it seems it was a mistake. The situation was chaotic at the time, and he almost infiltrated the base. I thought he was sent by Ruan Wenjun.”
Realizing his attack might not have been light, even if the other party managed to survive, the situation might not be optimistic. Zhang Ci continued, “There’s a B-level healer in the base. Bring him over.”
“No need. Su Cha is currently unable to move,” came the cold voice of Zhuang Qingyan from behind the two.
Zhang Ci and Song Ke turned to look, finding Zhuang Qingyan reclining lazily in the wheelchair, his eyes filled with a smiling glint. “Qiong Qi, right? Can I make a suggestion? Since we can’t exactly call each other enemies, there’s no need for this many people to surround us. Let’s discuss matters in a more appropriate setting.”
“Who are you?” Zhang Ci maintained his expression.
“Me? Just an ordinary researcher,” Zhuang Qingyan replied with a smile.
Song Ke shot him a wordless glance, wondering why this person was being theatrical again.
Zhang Ci glanced at Song Ke, recalling her mention of a “companion,” and nodded slightly. “Let’s discuss inside the base.”
After tidying up the area a bit, the group made their way towards the gate of the base.
Mo Yan affectionately draped his arm over Song Ke’s shoulder. Since he couldn’t pinch her face, he settled for ruffling her hair.
“Little Junior Sister, you traveled a thousand miles just to chase your husband here? Determined to become Zhang Ci’s bride?” he teased.
Song Ke’s smile instantly dropped, “No, that’s not it!”
Mo Yan winked at her, “I understand, I understand, shy are we? Look at Zhang Ci, so thick-skinned, never refuting.”
Zhang Ci glanced at Mo Yan, unable to comprehend why these people could keep the same joke going for over a decade.
Behind the group, Zhuang Qingyan’s wheelchair stopped abruptly without warning.
“What’s wrong?” Lu Xiaoyu asked.
“Nothing.”
Lu Xiaoyu glanced at Song Ke, who was getting her head ruffled in the crowd, and Zhang Ci, who had an upright back, then turned to look at Zhuang Qingyan. The face that usually bore a false smile was now devoid of expression, faintly exuding a hint of the arrogance and rudeness of youth.
As Lu Xiaoyu observed, a light bulb flickered in his emotionally detached brain.
“Hah,” he let out a cold laugh.
