Chapter 96 – When the Roses Bloom (14)
◎ Officially declaring war ◎
Bai Ruotong took a step forward and sat across from Zhuang Qingyan.
Ripples appeared in her pupils as layers of spiritual energy turned into a gentle stream, carefully sensing the emotional fluctuations of the other party.
“When did you meet Song Ke?”
“Seven months ago.”
“Was assassinating Nai Kang your idea?”
“No.”
“Have you ever used manipulation, suggestion, or instigation to influence her thoughts?”
“Never.”
Bai Ruotong furrowed her brow. Ordinary awakeners, when facing a mind-reading ability, would show signs of nervousness or agitation, but this person seemed like a calm, undisturbed body of water. She couldn’t discern any clues.
Was he just exceptionally skilled at lying, deceiving even himself? Or did he secretly construct a mental barrier, blocking her detection?
Determined, Bai Ruotong released her ability to the fullest. The trickles of energy transformed into a surging river, intending to break through and forcibly enter Zhuang Qingyan’s mind to extract information. However, as soon as she conceived this idea, she abruptly collided with a cold mental force. “Bang!” Like a giant hammer wildly pounding in her mind, her clear consciousness instantly blurred for two seconds.
“What… What is your purpose in traveling with Song Ke?” Bai Ruotong gritted her teeth.
“No specific purpose. After she saved me, we acted together,” Zhuang Qingyan replied calmly.
“Have you ever lied to her from start to finish?” Bai Ruotong’s body swayed.
Zhuang Qingyan smirked, no trace of amusement in his eyes. “How do you define ‘lying’?”
Bai Ruotong’s cold sweat increased. Although she was the one questioning, the man in front of her remained composed. Her psychic ability was completely suppressed, immobilizing her. His mental strength was evidently higher than hers.
Bai Ruotong was suddenly alarmed, and a dreadful speculation surged in her mind: could he be…
“Ruotong, stop it.” Zhang Ci drew a calming symbol in the air, and it flew towards Bai Ruotong. She suddenly snapped back to reality, gasping for breath.
“Are you S-level?” Zhang Ci asked coldly.
“Indeed, I am.” Zhuang Qingyan smiled.
As soon as the words fell, two powerful S-level auras were simultaneously released, colliding head-on.
The expressions of the onlookers changed, and they quickly retreated, distancing themselves from the center of the confrontation. Tables, chairs, bowls, and chopsticks clattered to the ground.
In the midst of the chaos, the only one unaffected, Lu Xiaoyu, sarcastically commented, “If you’re going to fight, can you please consider how others might feel?”
Zhang Ci and Zhuang Qingyan fell silent, both retracting their auras.
Zhang Ci knew he wouldn’t get much from Zhuang Qingyan, so he turned his head to look at the other two. He glanced at Lu Xiaoyu, who was calmly continuing his meal as if nothing happened, and then fixed his composed gaze on Xu Xing.
Xu Xing was at a loss for words. He knew it! In V587, he was considered the weakest, and now he was likely to be taken advantage of again.
At a critical moment, Zhuang Qingyan cleared his throat twice, attracting everyone’s attention. “Can I say a few words?” he asked.
Zhang Ci nodded faintly, “Go ahead.”
“You deny Song Ke’s ideas, probably due to concerns. But why not, in turn, seriously consider the feasibility of this matter?”
“No way, assassinating the magistrate? Tell me, how is that feasible?” Mo Yan exclaimed.
Zhuang Qingyan smiled, “From Song Ke’s perspective, it does seem like a fantasy. But what if… we consider it from Shaye’s standpoint?”
Mo Yan and others were stunned, and Zhang Ci’s eyes flashed.
Zhuang Qingyan’s next words seemed to carry some kind of persuasion, “Shaye Base has grown to a scale that has long become a major threat to Nai Kang. There will inevitably be a war between you and Mu City. A passive defense will only lead to constant attacks.”
“Qiong Qi, you are an ambitious person, are you willing to succumb to Nai Kang’s shadow? Are you willing to wait until he’s in a bad mood and comes to attack you?”
“Since we’ve come to this point, instead of waiting to die, why not take the initiative? As long as we get rid of Nai Kang, the entire District C55 will be yours.”
The same thought circled in the minds of others: ‘This guy is definitely crazy! But on second thought, although his suggestion was shocking, it seemed to make a bit of twisted sense?!’
Zhang Ci remained silent.
He never expected that his deepest secret would be revealed by this person with just a few words.
Why didn’t he stay in other people’s bases? Why, after awakening his abilities, did he refuse to continue participating in the assessments of the Azure Phoenix? Going further back, why did he and Zhang Ting have such deep conflicts? Ultimately, it was because their ideologies clashed.
Zhang Ci couldn’t understand why, with Zhang Ting’s abilities, he chose to live in Yue Mountain and open a small martial arts school. Zhang Ting always accused him of having too much ambition, being arrogant, and always wanting to stand out.
Zhuang Qingyan said meaningfully, “So, in the long run, Song Ke is clearing obstacles for Shaye’s bright future. Instead of stopping her, you should join forces with her and together eliminate Mu City.”
Everyone: ‘This guy is terrifying, he’s too good at manipulating minds!’
…
In Shaye Base, Fan Yiwen led Song Ke along the usual patrol route to find someone.
After about ten minutes, a figure with a high ponytail and a sleek appearance appeared in front of them.
“Senior Sister!” Song Ke recognized the person and rushed toward her like a little bird.
Rita turned around in surprise, and when she saw Song Ke clearly, her face lit up with joy. “Song Ke? It’s really you! How did you find your way here?”
The two held hands and danced in circles, chatting for a while. Song Ke belatedly noticed that the girl next to Rita was curiously staring at her.
She scratched her head awkwardly and asked in a low voice, “Senior Sister, who are they…?”
Rita’s expression turned cold. “They escaped from the ‘Rose Army.’ Hmph, I’ve never seen such a dirty and sordid place.”
‘Rose Army? What’s that?’ Song Ke was stunned.
…
In Mu City’s base, a regular apartment.
Lin Youyou sat on the edge of the bed, with no make-up on, her long hair casually tied, supporting her chin as she dozed off. There was a faint shade of dark circles under her eyes.
Su Cha leaned against the head of the bed, fingers curved on his knee, silently observing her. As a popular star in Ferrara, Lin Youyou always paid attention to her image. She rarely appeared so unkempt.
Su Cha, with his first twenty years spent in the rainforest, had never seen Lin Youyou like this. When he first followed Lin Youyou, he was often scolded as “clumsy” and “stupid,” and Su Cha’s height of 1.9 meters was often berated by her, making him feel at a loss. However, he never thought Lin Youyou was “bad.” After all, when he was at his lowest, Lin Youyou was the only one willing to take him in and even paid him a considerable salary. In Su Cha’s eyes, Lin Youyou, no matter how bad, was still good.
Although Su Cha was skilled in stealth and infiltration, he had no experience in peeking at girls. Caught off guard, Lin Youyou suddenly opened her eyes and met Su Cha’s gaze. Startled, Su Cha paused and awkwardly shifted his gaze away.
Lin Youyou’s lips curled slightly. “Oh, peeking at me? Are you stunned? Am I good-looking?”
“No,” Su Cha denied immediately, “…you should wash your face.”
Lin Youyou almost choked on her breath. “I said you…”
At this moment, a message tone sounded. Lin Youyou lowered her head to check. It was a voice request from Irene.
After accepting the call, the sounds of gunfire rumbled on the other side, followed by Irene’s hoarse voice.
“Are you still at the apartment? I need your help.”
“Yes, what do you need help with?”
“I have a few friends who currently have nowhere to go. Can they hide out at your place for a while?” Irene’s voice came through the communication device.
Lin Youyou quickly thought about it. Song Ke had already informed her about Shaye’s situation, and they planned to head to the base as soon as Su Cha’s body recovered a bit. By then, they would vacate this apartment.
Lin Youyou reminded Irene, “Sure, but don’t forget, the address here has been exposed. Miao Lun’s people once tracked Zhang Wanyao downstairs. This apartment is no longer absolutely safe.”
Irene replied, “It’s okay. We’ll just transit here for a couple of days.”
Lin Youyou waited at the entrance of the apartment. About an hour later, Irene arrived with four or five girls, swiftly crossing the street and entering the corridor.
Their faces and bodies were covered in injuries, with Irene being the most severe. Blood flowed continuously from her intact left arm, and the hand holding the gun’s barrel trembled incessantly.
Lin Youyou quickly brought medicine to bandage their wounds. After a simple treatment, Irene stood up again.
“Wait here for a moment. I need to find a few more sisters.”
Among the portraits given to her by Zhang Wanyao, there were still two people who hadn’t been rescued.
“Irene, I’m not afraid. I’ll go with you!” a young girl with brown skin held onto Irene.
“Marsha, you don’t have any abilities. It’s too dangerous to go out,” Irene refused, shaking her head stubbornly, insisting on going alone.
Lin Youyou sighed helplessly, “Hey, you’re injured. Going alone to save people is even more dangerous, isn’t it?”
Irene replied, “It’s fine. I can still fight.”
“Forget it, forget it, I’ll go with you,” Lin Youyou said.
“You?” Irene raised an eyebrow.
“Looking down on me? No matter what, I’m still A-level, I can assist you. We can cooperate, better than you going alone, right?” Lin Youyou had learned a bit of Song Ke’s recklessness from being around her for so long.
If reasoning didn’t work, they’d use force to solve problems.
Lin Youyou stepped onto a stool, cleared her throat, and boldly shouted, “Sisters, raise your glasses together, break through the mist, and rise again! Kill the heavens, kill the earth, and become demons! Let me overturn the heavens again!”
A dark mist rose in the apartment, and countless blades flew around. This was Lin Youyou’s new combat style, transitioning from pure support to a control style that combined defense and attack. It was effective for both offense and retreat, giving her some combat capabilities.
But these lyrics…
Had nothing to do with romance, a bit too much of a chuunibyou, and a bit vulgar. But as long as it worked.
A slight movement came from behind.
Lin Youyou turned around. Su Cha had put on a coat, with bandages wrapped around his abdomen. He was looking at Lin Youyou with an expression that was hard to put into words. In Lin Youyou’s current appearance, even if she were thrown into Ferrara’s central square, no one would associate her with the “sweet songstress” of the past.
“…,” Lin Youyou awkwardly retracted her legs.
“Okay, then you come with me,” Irene agreed after witnessing her strength.
Just as they were about to move, Marsha grabbed Irene again. “Irene, actually, I…”
…
Miao Lun Headquarters.
Zhang Wanyao carried medicine and arrived at the backyard, where the ‘pets’ here were those whom Miao Lun had not yet tired of. When he lost interest, he would send the recruited ‘Rose Army’ to various private military camps, euphemistically calling it ‘resource sharing.’
What’s even more tragic is that only the pets abandoned by Miao Lun could find a faint chance of escape.
Zhang Wanyao opened the courtyard door and quickly counted, finding that several rooms inside had emptied again.
She walked to the right, and there, the girl with bloodstains on her face from a couple of days ago was clumsily bandaging her wounds, gesturing a few times with her single hand but realizing it wasn’t enough, she stopped in frustration.
Zhang Wanyao came over to her, took the gauze, and skillfully began to attend to her wounds, saying, “Let me do it.”
The girl quietly lowered her head and looked at her. The woman in front of her was beautiful; although there were faint lines at the corners of her eyes, it didn’t diminish her beauty. Instead, it added a charming charm. Unfortunately, her shoulders and wrists had dark brands, destroying this perfection.
Zhang Wanyao took some time, bandaging up all her wounds, cutting off the loose ends, and checking to ensure everything was neat and tidy.
“You did a really good job. Are you a doctor?” the girl asked softly.
“No,” Zhang Wanyao paused, her eyes momentarily softening, “but my husband is. He’s the best surgeon.”
Both of them understood that the “husband” she mentioned definitely wasn’t referring to Miao Lun.
“I’m called Marie.”
“Zhang Wanyao.”
“I was captured; I didn’t join the Rose Army willingly.” Marie clenched her fist, her expression full of resentment.
“Many people here are,” Zhang Wanyao sighed lightly.
Marie remained silent for a moment. “But I heard others say that you volunteered.”
Zhang Wanyao’s back stiffened. “Yes.”
Marie looked puzzled. “However, when you talked about your husband, it seemed happy. I don’t believe you volunteered. Do you have a purpose?”
Zhang Wanyao didn’t answer. “If you want to escape, I can help you…”
Marie interrupted her, “No, I won’t escape.”
Zhang Wanyao looked surprised and found a certain determination in Marie’s eyes.
“My grandfather was a brave freelance mercenary. He taught me that one must avenge oneself. I can’t humiliate myself by running away. I want to kill Miao Lun and avenge myself.”
“Hush,” Zhang Wanyao quickly covered her mouth, silently pointing outside the wall. There were awakeners everywhere, and they had to be cautious when speaking.
Marie lowered her voice, “You have companions, right? You’ve been in contact with people outside, helping those girls escape.”
Zhang Wanyao frowned slightly, “I used to, but now I’m restricted from going out. That route is no longer feasible.”
Marie blinked, seemingly assessing her credibility. Then, she unexpectedly said something shocking, “If you can find powerful help, I can connect you with them. I’m an awakener.”
Zhang Wanyao was astonished, “Weren’t you subjected to awakener detection when you were brought here? Only ordinary people can enter Miao Lun’s room.”
Marie folded her hands together, and a faint trace of awakened energy emanated, “My level is very low, only E-level, undetectable by machines. But I have a twin sister; our ability is telepathy. Within a certain range, we can understand each other’s thoughts.”
Zhang Wanyao looked worried, “Recently, Western Street has been chaotic. Can you be sure your sister is still in Mu City?”
As they were conversing, a thunderous noise resounded outside. The citywide announcement in District C55 was triggered, and the General declared new laws.
“From now on, a kill order is issued for all refugees fleeing to Shaye. The Guard Unit, Royal Guard, and Iron Eagle Team will collaborate to eliminate them. Mobilize all forces in Mu City, spare no cost, and within three days, eradicate the rebel forces.”
Nai Kang finally couldn’t sit still; they formally declared war on Shaye.
