Chapter 99.1 – When the Roses Bloom (17)
◎ Three Lives ◎
Tun Qin’s awakened ability was called “Battle Spirit Fury.” As long as he gained the upper hand in a duel, he could ignite his battle spirit, accumulate layers, and thereby fight more smoothly, eventually forming a full suppression of the enemy.
He carried a rocket launcher on his shoulder called “Poison Sting.” This was the latest single-person anti-tank weapon from the Mu City arsenal. When the armor-piercing projectiles it fired hit a person, they would cause burning, armor-piercing, and explosive effects, along with blinding intense light and burning effects. Even high-level awakeners would be reduced to pieces if hit.
Tun Qin hid behind a half-slope, activated the scope, aimed at Zhang Ci moving in the field, and without hesitation, pressed the trigger, firing four armor-piercing rounds in rapid succession!
“Boom, boom, boom—” Dazzling flames soared into the sky, and Zhang Ci was instantly engulfed.
The layers of battle spirit were smoothly ignited. Tun Qin smiled coldly, dropped the Poison Sting, and switched to a submachine gun before charging forward.
In the rolling smoke and dust, the place where Zhang Ci was was empty. Tun Qin was greatly surprised and quickly turned around.
Too late! Zhang Ci was surrounded by a protective spell and instantly teleported behind him, delivering a fierce chop with his hand.
Tun Qin had no chance to react and was hit squarely. His firearm fell to the ground.
Zhang Ci transformed his knife into claws, grabbed the back of Tun Qin’s neck, and slammed him forcefully to the ground.
Half of Tun Qin’s face happened to press against the still-burning flames, and the sizzling smell of burnt flesh filled the air. He writhed in pain with a distorted face, howling continuously, and the bit of battle spirit he had accumulated disappeared instantly.
“It’s you,” Zhang Ci recognized his voice, loosening his grip slightly. “Good timing. If you didn’t come, I would have gone looking for you.”
“What’s this? The prestigious Senior Brother of Yue Mountain has fallen to become a lackey of the Shaye base?” Tun Qin spoke hoarsely, eyes darting around, constantly aware of the surroundings, attempting to turn the tables. He deliberately provoked, “How does it feel, Senior Brother, to become a lackey of Shaye?”
Zhang Ci clasped his fingers, forming a spell with his left hand, controlling Tun Qin with a Soul Binding Curse.
Then he pulled out a knife and ruthlessly stabbed through Tun Qin’s right arm, pinning him to the ground.
“Ah—!” A sharp and miserable scream echoed.
“Ignorant and incompetent. Did you never consider my identity before attacking me as a member of the Shaye base?” Zhang Ci released his awakened energy, and the pressure of an S-level awakener descended like a heavy mountain, leaving Tun Qin breathless.
“You… You’re a Qiong Qi?!”
Tun Qin suddenly realized a terrifying fact, his eyes wide with horror.
The notorious leader of Shaye’s refugees, Qiong Qi, had a widespread reputation. Rumors about him being an S-level awakener circulated among the upper echelons of Mu City, but details about Qiong Qi’s origins, background, and appearance were scarce. Due to his rare appearances and the disdain of the arrogant military leaders to send anyone to infiltrate the refugees, nobody knew anything about him.
Tun Qin’s right hand trembled, veins subtly bulging on his otherwise intact half-face. “Zhang Ci, you insulted me, ruined me, killed me time and time again. What are you pretending to be, a righteous person? You’re just a scoundrel, a hypocrite!”
“From the beginning, I disagreed with your initiation,” Zhang Ci said in a deep voice. “In the matter of martial arts, strength has always been the only language. If you can defeat me fair and square, you can still step on my head. But your character is dark, and every time you lose, you hold resentment.”
To keep Yue Mountain Martial Arts School running, substantial financial support was needed. Zhang Ting, being a worldly person, had a clear reason for accepting Tun Qin – the generous “initiation fee.” However, during their first sparring match, Zhang Ci noticed the distorted psychology of Tun Qin. While winning and losing were common, Tun Qin’s gaze seemed to want to kill everyone who defeated him.
“I ask you, what happened in the martial arts school before and after the apocalypse?” Zhang Ci raised his voice to question.
They had excavated every mound of earth, including Zhang Ting’s. Zhang Ting obviously hadn’t turned into a zombie, and his injuries were clearly inflicted by a person.
Rita had said that she left Yue Mountain two days before the apocalypse, and Tun Qin was among the people left behind. Now that the martial arts school was completely wiped out, if anyone knew the truth, it was probably Tun Qin.
When pressured with questions, Tun Qin was first stunned and then burst into laughter. “Senior Brother, even if you’re S-level, there are things you can’t accomplish. Want to know how your real dad died? Beg me!”
“When Zhang Ting was alive, you adamantly denied him as your father. Now you act like a filial son, mourning for him. Hahaha!”
“No change in your stubbornness. A person like you is not worthy of being a student of Yue Mountain,” Zhang Ci said coldly.
Confident that Zhang Ci wouldn’t dare to kill him, Tun Qin mocked unabashedly, “Senior Brother wants to uphold justice and kick me out? How imposing!”
“Ruotong!” Zhang Ci shouted, “Even if you don’t speak, I have a way to find out.”
With a stern face, Bai Ruotong ran over. She couldn’t deal with an S-level like Zhuang Qingyan, but she could still handle a B-level! Her powerful mind probe emerged forcefully, delving deep into Tun Qin’s mind, searching every nook and cranny. Tun Qin broke into a cold sweat, his scalp feeling like it was about to be lifted, and he couldn’t even scream.
Fragmented memories flowed like a tidal wave, and Bai Ruotong quickly seized the parts she wanted.
On the first day of the apocalypse, Zhang Ting locked the mutated students in the warehouse, silently guarding the door. Shortly after, a group of uniformed people broke into the martial arts academy. After a brief conversation with Zhang Ting, a fierce dispute erupted, leading to a duel. Their methods were mysterious, and their attacks were unheard of. They teamed up to kill Zhang Ting and then ransacked the place.
Tun Qin, who had overslept in the dormitory for a day, woke up to find the martial arts school deserted. He went to the surveillance room and witnessed the entire process of Zhang Ting’s death. He dared not make a sound and only gathered his things to escape, leaving Yue Mountain.
After Bai Ruotong read his memories, tears streamed down her face as she scolded, word by word, “Tun Qin, you are truly the shame of Yue Mountain.”
When Song Ke and Zhuang Qingyan arrived, Zhang Ci, with an emotionless face, pierced Tun Qin’s head with a knife.
“Senior Brother?” Song Ke called him softly.
Zhang Ci pulled out the knife and said only four words, “Clean up the mess.”
After Nai Kang and Mu Qin left, the joint forces abandoned most of the damaged and impractical siege equipment and hastily withdrew from the battlefield.
As Zhang Ci and Song Ke were cleaning up the aftermath, Fan Yiwen suddenly ran over carrying someone. His face was covered in soot, and the voice of the 1.8-meter tall man was crying, “Zhang Ci, save Xiao Mo quickly!”
Mo Yan, alone, went to destroy the catapults and was caught in the explosion of a cannon. Half of his body was a bloody mess, and his original appearance was unrecognizable. His limbs hung limply, breathing shallow, and it seemed he was about to give up.
Zhang Ci couldn’t care less about cleaning up the battlefield and quickly said, “Take him to Lu Qiu.”
Lu Qiu was the only healing awakener in the base. Before the apocalypse, she was just an ordinary Shaye candidate. She had barely managed to get into Tongwan Medical College, and hadn’t even attended a professional class when the unlucky apocalypse struck. In previous healing attempts, Lu Qiu relied on her level half the time and self-study the other half. When facing a real life-threatening situation, her half-baked skills proved inadequate.
Seeing Mo Yan’s miserable condition, Lu Qiu’s healing ability immediately covered him. After a while, she looked panicked and said, “No, his awakened energy is draining too quickly. I can only barely sustain it, I can’t perform the treatment.”
Zhang Ci’s body tensed immediately. Fan Yiwen cried with tears streaming down his face. Even a B-level healing awakener couldn’t do it. Is Mo Yan really going to die here?
Song Ke quickly spoke up, “Senior Brother, my companion is an A-level healer and a doctor. I’ll have him come over right away.”
An A-level healer.
In just a few words, hope ignited again among the group. The scarcity of healers was well-known, especially A-level.
Zhang Ci immediately nodded, “I will release all the checkpoints and ask him to come to Shaye as quickly as possible.”
Song Ke contacted Su Cha using the communicator, and the response came almost instantly, “Su Cha, quickly bring Fang Zhixu to Shaye, it has to be fast!”
Su Cha was silent for a moment, without any further questions, and responded in a deep voice, “I’m on my way.”
