Chapter 99.2 – When the Roses Bloom (17)
◎ Three Lives ◎
From Mu City to Shaye, even at full speed, it would take four or five hours for awakeners to run. Lu Qiu’s psychic power might not hold out.
Rita brought a box of Level 3 crystals, more than a dozen in total, all spontaneously donated by Shaye’s awakeners. If Lu Qiu couldn’t hold on, they would extract energy from the crystals.
Time passed second by second, and everyone’s hearts were tightly suspended.
Lu Qiu’s face grew paler, her body trembling uncontrollably, and Mo Yan’s breathing became barely audible.
At this critical moment, Lin Mo led Su Cha and Fang Zhixu rushing in, “He’s here!”
Fang Zhixu’s hair was disheveled, the bun at the back of his head had long lost its shape, and even his stubble was shaved on only one side. After arriving on the scene, he immediately took over, skillfully cutting Mo Yan’s clothes, removing the dust and sand from his airway to prevent sudden suffocation during surgery. Then, he restored the organs such as the heart, lungs, and kidneys, with a pale blue healing ability flowing in. Mo Yan’s complexion visibly improved.
Song Ke looked back at Su Cha, who, due to the extreme rush, was in bad condition, with a ruptured abdominal wound and blood soaking through his coat.
“Lu Qiu,” Zhang Ci also noticed his abnormality and called softly.
Lu Qiu, who had been observing Fang Zhixu’s surgery attentively, immediately stood up, “I’ll help you with that.”
Su Cha nodded, “Thank you.”
Fang Zhixu was fully focused, undisturbed by external factors, and his hands were constantly in motion.
The others dared not speak or even breathe loudly, countless pairs of eyes staring fixedly at him.
After more than two hours of emergency treatment, Fang Zhixu put down the surgical knife, nodded wearily, and said, “He’s saved. Afterward, try not to move him too much. Rest well for a few months, let his lost awakened energy slowly recover.”
Fan Yiwen clenched his fists and couldn’t help but cry.
An A-level healer, possessing the ability to compete with the Grim Reaper for lives, and Fang Zhixu was not an ordinary A-level. He was already an outstanding surgeon with rich experience. In a crisis, he remained calm and could maximize the use of his healing abilities.
Zhang Ci bowed slightly to him and thanked him sincerely, “Thank you.”
Even Qiong Qi, the leader, personally bowed, and all the high-level awakeners behind him snapped to attention, uniformly bending at a standard 90-degree angle and shouting loudly, “Thank you!!”
Lin Mo was even wiping tears as he shouted.
Their display startled Fang Zhixu. He took steps backward, stumbling, but Song Ke secretly reached out to support him, helping him stand upright.
…
After Mo Yan was out of danger, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and busied themselves arranging the residents, cleaning up the battlefield. Most of the people had left.
Song Ke turned to look at Zhuang Qingyan, pointing his finger and lightly tapping his right leg, poking it once, then again, with a curious expression.
“Your leg, how did it get better?”
“Temporary.”
Even temporary was quite miraculous. Thinking of how Zhuang Qingyan had wielded his powers on the battlefield just moments ago, Song Ke’s eyes sparkled.
“You can control Level 3 zombies.”
“Yeah, after all, I am also an S-level, so I won’t embarrass you.”
“Amazing.” Song Ke applauded.
Zhuang Qingyan shook his head with a faint smile. Song Ke’s praises, whether for him or for Xu Xing, essentially had no difference.
The applause from Song Ke grew quieter. She looked up and down, and up again at Zhuang Qingyan.
After another look, Zhuang Qingyan calmly faced her gaze. A few strands of bangs scattered down his forehead, covering his deep peach blossom eyes. His entire demeanor was sharp yet aloof, creating an indescribable contradiction.
Song Ke was stunned.
It felt like… he had become a different person. No, perhaps the “Qinglan Researcher” in the wheelchair was just another layer of disguise. The man standing before her, running and standing confidently, was the real Zhuang Qingyan.
“Am I good-looking?”
Song Ke nodded dumbly.
“Song Keke, I found out that you are still a face-con.” Zhuang Qingyan clicked his tongue lightly.
Song Ke’s cheeks puffed up angrily, and she punched him in the mouth.
“Uh—” As a result, Zhuang Qingyan made a muffled sound, and his tall figure, unable to maintain balance, fell forward.
Song Ke was alarmed and quickly reached out to catch him. She turned her head to realize that Zhuang Qingyan’s complexion was not good.
“The magic time is over,” Zhuang Qingyan sighed. Nearly eight hours had passed since the injection, and the sealed side effects were beginning to manifest.
“Th-then, what should we do?” Song Ke anxiously said, “I’ll go get a wheelchair.”
“Don’t move for now, let me rest a bit.”
Zhuang Qingyan extended his right hand, gently embracing Song Ke’s back, exerting a little force. The distance between the two became even closer.
“Song Keke, who do you think I’ve been working so hard for?”
Warm breath sprayed on her neck, and Song Ke’s toes curled. She stood there like a wooden stick, upright.
“Hmm?” The questioning tone seemed to have a hook, demanding an answer from her.
“…Me, I guess?” Song Ke replied awkwardly.
“You have some conscience.” A faint chuckle sounded in her ears.
A faint blush spread from her cheeks to the top of her head. Song Ke, very uncharacteristically, blushed.
…
The cafeteria once again served as a temporary meeting room. All the high-level awakeners in Shaye gathered, regardless of the length of time they had joined. After this battle, they were now comrades worthy of trust.
Song Ke pushed Zhuang Qingyan in. He looked boneless, lazily leaning against the wheelchair. Occasionally, he would weakly cough a couple of times. Song Ke was very cautious, even reminding him with hushed tones when crossing the threshold, as if he were made of glass.
Fang Zhixu glanced at Zhuang Qingyan, not remembering that one of the side effects of the seal was being “delicate.”
“You mentioned having a meeting to discuss Nai Kang’s situation. Did you make any discoveries?” Zhang Ci pointed to a table in the distance. “Song Ke, Rita has saved you some food. Come over and eat first.”
Song Ke responded with a sound, releasing the wheelchair with both hands, and happily ran over to pick up the bowl, eating with gusto.
Zhuang Qingyan: “…”
Zhuang Qingyan lost his desire to perform, sat up straight, and his complexion was no longer pale. The weak coughing also stopped. He spoke with a serious expression.
“Nai Kang is not an awakener.”
This revelation caused a stir among the people present.
“What?”
“How is that possible?”
“He’s not an awakener? Then why couldn’t even an S-level take him down?”
Zhuang Qingyan calmly said, “Nai Kang’s awakened energy is extremely weak, definitely not emitted from the body’s magnetic field. I speculate that there should be a causality awakener who has applied some kind of protective barrier on him.”
“Causality awakener? I know someone,” Samuel, the mercenary leader they had met briefly, suddenly spoke up. “That person used to be a mercenary in Western Street. Later, he joined the Guard Unit. His awakened ability is ‘Life Puppet,’ which can turn people into puppets. He can use their lives instead of his own. As long as the puppet doesn’t die, the master won’t die.”
Such an awakened ability was shocking to hear.
“Damn, making others die in one’s place. No wonder Nai Kang is so arrogant.”
“Then who is his puppet?”
Zhuang Qingyan continued his analysis. “When Song Ke killed Jularamani, Nai Kang’s expression showed clear panic. Within the next few seconds, he exposed a vulnerability that could be attacked, but quickly recovered.”
Zhang Ci added, “Are you saying that Jularamani was Nai Kang’s first puppet?”
First puppet?
Everyone’s hearts sank. The implied meaning in Zhang Ci’s words suggested, does Nai Kang have other puppets?
“No way, how many lives does he have? Can’t he be killed?”
“Is there no limit to this ability?”
“Of course there are limitations. Every time a causality awakener uses their ability, they pay with their own life. Besides, that person is only B-level, and as far as I know, he died a few months ago,” Samuel said solemnly.
Song Ke’s heart also cast a shadow. According to the information provided by Samuel, the causality awakener likely died from overdrawing on their ability. The puppets he created at the cost of his life were all used on Nai Kang.
“Three puppets,” Zhuang Qingyan said indifferently. “Nai Kang has three puppets.”
“How do you know?” Others looked at him suspiciously.
Zhuang Qingyan waved his hand from a distance. “Song Ke, let me borrow the terminal.”
Song Ke put down the bowl and ran over, passing through the crowd and handing the terminal to him.
Zhuang Qingyan projected a whiteboard and, in front of everyone, listed a series of complex formulas.
“It’s not difficult to calculate the result. Just consider Nai Kang’s awakened energy, magnetic field strength, and radiation fluctuations inside his body. Then perform the calculations… First, set the total amount of his awakened energy when he first appeared as Y…”
“Then, after Jularamani’s death, the first layer of causality disappears. Set this variable as x…”
Zhuang Qingyan’s fingers moved quickly, and more and more data appeared on the whiteboard. Finally, he drew a straight line gracefully. “The final answer is obvious. After Jularamani’s death, Nai Kang still has two layers of protection.”
“This also corresponds to the strength of a B-level awakener. I’m afraid that person, throughout his life, had a limit of only three puppets.”
When Zhuang Qingyan looked up, the cafeteria fell silent.
The bewildered expressions of the people from Yue Shan Martial Arts School were identical, with eyes revealing a clear stupidity, unaware that their chopsticks and spoons had fallen from their hands.
In the complete silence, only Lu Xiaoyu clapped his hands to give face, “From the calculation process alone, it’s entirely correct.”
Zhuang Qingyan smiled, put the terminal back on Song Ke, who was still bewildered, and used his slender fingers to pick off the rice grains on her cheek.
“To kill Nai Kang, you must first kill the puppets,” Zhuang Qingyan calmly revealed the breakthrough.
“Now the problem is, who are the remaining two puppets of Nai Kang?”
