Chapter 102 – When the Roses Bloom (20)
◎ I had seven times despised my soul ◎
Two unexpected guests arrived at the heavily guarded entrance of the Reunification Palace.
Before they could approach the restricted area, armed guards aimed their weapons at the two, warning them to halt.
“We’re here to claim the bounty.”
One of them slowly raised his head. A grim scar ran from the corner of his eye to his jaw, his eyes unusually gloomy. Coupled with a voice that seemed scorched by flames, his hoarse tone made anyone listening uncomfortable, sending shivers down their spine.
Next to Scarface stood a silent, thin man, both carrying peculiarly shaped black boxes.
The captain of the guards couldn’t help but be startled. What bounty could they be claiming at the Reunification Palace? Then, his expression changed as he quickly recalled the most prominent recent bounty, the one personally issued by the General: “To kill any one of the four S-level awakeners of Shaye and claim a substantial bounty by presenting their head at the Reunification Palace.”
The authority of this warrant was high, its difficulty immense, nearly impossible for anyone to accomplish. However, correspondingly, its rewards were astonishingly abundant, even allowing requests to be made directly to the General himself. Under this high reward, there must be brave souls willing to attempt the impossible. Could it be that someone had actually fulfilled this warrant?
Only an S-level could kill another S-level awakener…
The captain felt a chill down his spine. When he looked back at the two, his attitude immediately became respectful. “Two heroes, we need to verify the token first.”
Scarface sneered. Simultaneously, he and the thin man pressed a switch on their boxes. A small door automatically lifted from the side, revealing two bloody human heads!
The captain’s heart turned cold as he hurriedly retrieved the footage from the battle with Shaye. The identities of these S-level fugitives were unknown, lacking their biological information, which forced them to resort to traditional methods of verification. After scanning the video and pausing it, he scrutinized the blurred, fleshy heads. Eventually, he managed to identify them: the crippled man controlling the mechanical vehicle on the city wall on the left, and surprisingly, the one on the right bore a striking resemblance to the leader of the refugees, Qiong Qi.
The captain was shaken to the core. He took a step forward, wanting to examine more closely.
Scarface promptly closed the small door with a click and ominously stated, “I want to see the bounty.”
“Please wait a moment. I’ll report to the General immediately!”
The captain moved aside and communicated discreetly via his communicator. The message was swiftly relayed upwards, and Nai Kang’s order came promptly: Let them pass.
“Please come in.”
The guards who received the order made way for the two visitors.
Scarface and the thin man carried their boxes, passing through the security checkpoint. Precise instruments scanned them from head to toe, ensuring no weapons or sharp objects were allowed. The indicator lights blinked twice, all remained calm, no alarms sounded.
After entering through the main gate, they walked for almost fifteen minutes before officially entering the realm of the Reunification Palace. Along the way, they encountered patrolling awakeners; the security level here was so high that not even a bug could fly in.
Scarface stared at the majestic and grandiose buildings ahead, a peculiar smile on his lips. “The General is indeed wealthy. Look at this lavish life. Once we claim the bounty, we’ll get ourselves a big house like this.”
Scarface and the thin man exchanged glances, envisioning the good days to come, bursting into hearty laughter.
The captain of the guards twitched at the corner of his mouth, deliberately avoiding any response.
At the bottom of the black boxes, several small openings suddenly split open. Mechanical spiders fell out densely, some crawling into nearby bushes, others disappearing into crevices in the buildings, without drawing anyone’s attention. The eight eyes of each spider faintly glowed as they swiftly collected data from their surroundings.
In a space several meters underground, a black-haired girl retracted her ears, which had been eavesdropping for any movement. From the hole in the ceiling, she leaped down, landing soundlessly like a panther. Taking two steps forward, she activated a faint light. In the winding and dark tunnel, hundreds of advanced awakeners were quietly lurking.
Lu Xiaoyu’s fingers danced, projecting a screen. The real-time footage collected by the mechanical spiders streamed back. It began with rows of marching boots, then zoomed out, presenting a clear view of the buildings within the Reunification Palace, becoming increasingly complete as the spiders moved.
“Enough.”
“Have you found Nai Wen’s location?”
“It’ll take time.”
These people, naturally, were Song Ke and their team. As for Scarface and the thin figure, they were their accomplices.
Zhuang Qingyan discovered an awakener with the ability of “reverse molding”. His mind worked swiftly, formulating the entire plan in an instant.
First, Lu Xiaoyu crafted fake heads using machinery, then the awakener with reverse molding ability conducted “cosmetic surgery” on them. Finally, they sent two new faces “legitimately” into the Reunification Palace to investigate the internal situation, while Song Ke’s team used Kansu’s ability to infiltrate the palace through underground tunnels.
In the selection of the bounty heads, Zhang Ci, as the leader of Shaye, held undeniable value, undoubtedly occupying a slot. Zhang Ci himself had no objections to this. As for the other one… it was volunteered by Lu Xiaoyu.
One couldn’t deny that the genius’s way of thinking was indeed difficult for ordinary people to comprehend. Lu Xiaoyu’s smile and the scene of him playfully massaging his own head would certainly remain unforgettable for a lifetime.
…
In the Reunification Palace, within an ordinary building, the sound of objects shattering echoed.
“Get lost.” A terrifying-looking teenager, covered in brown patches, smashed all the vases in the room, muttering hoarsely.
His eerie gaze contradicted his young age, yet his body was frail and shorter than others his age. The guards, possessors of extraordinary abilities, stood silently in his way, thwarting his attempt to leave.
The boy erupted in rage, “Good, I couldn’t leave the palace before, but now I can’t even leave this room? Who gave you the guts to confine me?”
“Young Master Nai Wen, this is the General’s directive, all for your safety,” one of the guards explained calmly.
“Safety? What do I have to fear?” Nai Wen revealed a demonic grin. “What’s the point of living like this? If I die, so be it. I don’t even care. Why should you dogs interfere?”
Nai Wen reached under the bed, his expression revealing a sinister and bloodthirsty intent. “I heard Shaye’s leader’s head was delivered? I’ll go take a look. I plan to make a new ball out of it.”
“Young Master Nai Wen, you cannot leave the room…”
“Boom!” A burst of flame shattered the speaker’s head.
Nai Wen wiped the blood splattered on his face, twistedly smiling. “Don’t tell me what I can’t do.”
He cleared a path with a particle gun, forcing the guards of the security team to step back, finally walking out of the room.
…
Several dozen miles away from the Reunification Palace, in another tunnel, Marsha sat on a bench, waiting for Kansu and the others to return for her. She fiddled with the terminal, conversing telepathically with Marie atop her head.
“Sister, is that sister named Yao around?” Marsha suddenly remembered something, silently asking in her mind.
“She’s here, what’s wrong?” Marie glanced at Zhang Wanyao beside her, who sat motionless, staring at her hands. Since Nai Kang visited, she had grown increasingly silent.
In the underground chamber, Marsha rummaged through her pockets and retrieved a neatly folded piece of paper.
“There’s someone named Fang Zhixu who asked me to read this passage to her.”
“I had seven times despised my soul,
The first time, when it could have dared to strive but chose to comply with the status quo;
The third time, between difficulty and ease, it chose ease;”
Marsha’s tender voice read aloud the beautifully rhymed poetry.
In the courtyard dozens of meters above, Marie repeated the heard words and phrases word for word.
“The sixth time, it scorned the ugly faces, unaware it had the same countenance;
The seventh time, the soul lay askew in the filth of life, unwilling yet hesitant.
All errors should be concluded at the seventh time,
From this day forth, I am willing to burn my soul to secure a joyful new life for you.”
Marsha earnestly finished reading, and the two sisters simultaneously sighed in relief.
So difficult to read, so awkward, what does this poem really mean?
Zhang Wanyao blinked slowly, a faint curve forming at the corner of her mouth. She seemed to be smiling, yet poignant tears fell incessantly.
“It’s still the same as before…”
“What do you mean, the same as before?” Marie asked in confusion.
“When he made a mistake before and didn’t dare to apologize face-to-face, he would secretly write a poem and place it on my easel. If I opened and read it, it meant I forgave him. If not, he’d continue writing until I did forgive him.”
In Tongwan, Fang Zhixu had an excellent reputation as a respected doctor. But at home, in front of Zhang Wanyao, he appeared awkward, like a young lad in his early twenties, always clinging to her, unwilling to let go even after a long embrace.”
“Is he your husband?” Marie asked cautiously, “Did you leave him because you were angry?”
“No, I never…” Her voice trailed off quietly.
Zhang Wanyao wiped her tears, her resolute eyes filled with determination: “Can you ask your sister if Fang Zhixu is at the Reunification Palace now?”
Marie closed her eyes for a moment. “Marsha says he went to the Reunification Palace.”
…
Under the protection of layers of awakeners, Nai Kang received two individuals who had come to claim a bounty.
Seated on a chair, he stared intently at the box they held. “Where is the head of the Qiong Qi? Show it to me.”
Scarface sternly refused, “Wait a moment, General. We haven’t discussed the reward yet.”
“The reward can be claimed directly from my internal affairs officer,” Nai Kang replied.
“What we want can only be given by you, General,” Scarface chuckled strangely.
Frowning, Nai Kang asked, “What do you want?”
“I want to live in a palace,” Scarface blurted out.
“Forget it. Didn’t we agree on just money and crystals?” A thin, silent man suddenly opposed loudly.
“What money? Can’t I change my mind?” Scarface retorted coldly.
Due to a disagreement over how to split the loot, the two men argued fiercely, faces turning red, hinting at an imminent physical altercation.
Nai Kang’s patience dwindled away. Raising his right hand, numerous heavy weapons were aimed at the two, silencing their argument instantly.
“I’ll ask you one last time, what do you want?” Nai Kang sneered. In the past, he wouldn’t have even entertained the idea of meeting such people, let alone listening to them.
Scarface glanced at him, then grinned. “General, how about you let me take your place for two days?”
Nai Kang’s pupils contracted sharply. These two were definitely not here to claim a reward!!
He stood up abruptly, shouting, “Kill them!”
Scarface and the thin man fiercely hurled the black box forward. With a “whoosh,” just before the explosion of the shell, they vanished on the spot.
“General, they’re spatial anchor awakeners!” someone in the guard unit recognized.
Spatial anchor awakener belonged to an extremely rare branch within spatial awakener. By setting one or more anchor points, they could instantly return to the anchor point within the range of their ability, making them the perfect choice for committing crimes and escaping.
“Not good!” Nai Kang realized something, his face turning pale. “Where’s Nai Wen?”
“Beep beep—”
A piercing countdown alarm sounded from the black box on the ground. In the next second, a scorching blast soared into the sky!
This wasn’t the head of an S-level awakener; it was clearly a high-powered explosive device!
The Guard Unit and Nai Kang’s figures were instantly engulfed.
