Chapter 140.1 – Fire Seed (9)
◎ I asked you to hold him back, not to disable him ◎
The members of the V587 were called for an impromptu meeting in the apartment’s living room.
“Captain, what’s the matter?”
Song Ke puffed her cheeks, crossed her arms, and sat on the circular bar, nudging the corner of her mouth towards a lazy figure in a wheelchair.
Everyone turned their heads to look, except for Fang Zhixu, who awkwardly scratched his head, not daring to say a word.
“Stand up,” Song Ke ordered coldly, looking down from her high position.
Under everyone’s gaze, Zhuang Qingyan awkwardly coughed twice in a “fragile” manner, supporting himself on the wheelchair with both hands. He slowly stood up, trembling as he took a step forward. His knees weren’t accustomed, causing a slight delay in his movement, resulting in a sway in his body.
Su Cha instinctively reached out to help.
Expressionless, Song Ke said, “Stop pretending.”
Zhuang Qingyan straightened his back and immediately stopped swaying.
Su Cha muttered to himself, “…6,” and quietly retracted his arm.
Zhuang Qingyan’s hand awkwardly hovered in the air, seeing Song Ke had no intention of assisting him. He casually put his hand in his pocket, adjusted his muscles to their best condition, moved smoothly and naturally, his demeanor lazy and casual. Crossing his long legs, he walked back and forth like a male model in a poster, and then confidently sat back down.
V587: “…?”
In the silent air, they witnessed a free top-notch runway show, then indignantly accused him:
“You big liar, just the day before yesterday, I was pushing you!” This was Xu Xing, the fooled free labor.
“Tch, boring.” This was Lu Xiaoyu rolling his eyes.
“You kid, why didn’t you tell everyone in advance? Now look…” Fang Zhixu tried to shrink, attempting to avoid responsibility.
Lin Youyou suspiciously glanced at him, “Old Fang, you’re his attending physician, wouldn’t you know if his leg got better?”
Fang Zhixu stammered, “Uh, well, I… I…”
Lin Youyou covered her mouth dramatically, looking pained, “Wow, you two colluded to deceive us… to deceive the captain’s pure feelings!”
Song Ke nodded seriously, “Yeah! Huh?” What feelings?
She quickly brought the conversation back on track, “So, what are your plans for the future?”
“Everyone within the team knows about the recovery; I’ll continue using the wheelchair for a while.” Zhuang Qingyan lifted one leg, the suit pants outlining a clear silhouette. With his hands clasped in front of his abdomen, his expression open and without a hint of embarrassment, he said, “Anyway, I’m used to sitting, quite comfortable, actually.”
“Ah, yes, yes.” Everyone rolled their eyes but went along with it, showing kindness.
Despite teasing Zhuang Qingyan, everyone had a sense of understanding and wouldn’t spread rumors around.
After Lin Xiu woke up, they all more or less guessed that Zhuang Qingyan had an unusual identity but never questioned him. Each person had their own unspoken secrets, and among teammates, there should be mutual respect.
Song Ke took the opportunity to discuss with Zhuang Qingyan about accompanying them to meet Ming Gang and his wife, allowing him to choose a suitable time.
Zhuang Qingyan hesitated for a moment. “The sooner, the better. How about tomorrow?”
“Okay,” Song Ke nodded. “I’ll go with you.”
“Sure,” Zhuang Qingyan’s eyes curved into a charming smile. “District B is in crisis step by step, all because of my poor health. Cough, cough. I’ve caused trouble for everyone. Only the captain doesn’t mind that I’m a burden and is willing to accompany me. What more could I ask for?”
Song Ke: “…”
Song Ke’s forehead twisted in frustration. She turned half of her body away, no longer looking at his fake smile, quietly pulling out her own communicator terminal.
She still had to worry about the task she had been entrusted with.
Searching through the contacts, she found the profile of Yin Xiao and earnestly composed a message to send.
The gist of it was that she and her teammates had arrived at the Northern Base and heard about an exclusive channel for accepting missions. Could they be added to it?
As she typed away, Zhuang Qingyan stood up by himself, using one hand to support himself on the bar counter while resting his chin on her shoulder, staring fixedly at the content on the terminal. From behind, it seemed like a possessive half-embrace posture.
After waiting for about a minute, Yin Xiao’s reply finally arrived.
Song Ke opened it, finding only a location pin and an exclamation mark.
Just as she was forming a question in her mind, the next message from Yin Xiao popped up: “Come.”
“Two people, alone at night, making plans. He’s aiming high, huh?” Zhuang Qingyan’s smile carried a chilling undertone.
Before Song Ke could respond, another message arrived from Yin Xiao. Perhaps realizing the ambiguity in their conversation or acknowledging the sensitive timing, this time the message was more detailed: “Help rescue a situation. You alone will do. There’s an S-level threat on-site. Dangerous.”
With Zhuang Qingyan’s warm breath on her right shoulder, Song Ke felt the weight. She tilted her head slightly. “So, should I go?”
“Go where? Forget about it,” Zhuang Qingyan coldly snorted.
Observing the thickness of Zhuang Qingyan’s eyelashes, Song Ke spoke earnestly, “We owe him a favor. It’s a matter of reciprocity and social etiquette.”
After some thought, she articulated, “Courtesy demands reciprocity.”
Zhuang Qingyan couldn’t help but smile. He found it interesting how much a person could learn in just a few days. The girl seemed to understand the intricacies of social interactions now.
“Must you go?” His deep eyes seemed to probe into her soul, his tone soft and slow, tinged with a hint of sorrow.
“I have to,” Song Ke said earnestly.
They locked eyes for a few seconds, and inexplicably, a sense of guilt, akin to the feeling of a disloyal man secretly meeting someone else while having a wife, surged within Song Ke.
What’s this? She shook her head, dispelling this baseless and terrifying notion.
“It’s fine to go, but find someone to accompany you,” Zhuang Qingyan finally relented, sighing, “It’s just an S-level threat, after all.”
“Go early, come back early. Don’t get involved in things you shouldn’t, or else I won’t let you in,” he added, patting Song Ke’s head with one hand, as a reminder.
Because of his “unsuitability for the occasion,” he couldn’t show up openly and had to rely on the team.
Lu Xiaoyu had bought a bunch of new parts from the black market and was currently busy adjusting them up and down.
Zhuang Qingyan stopped in front of Lu Xiaoyu, casually kicking the yet-to-be-installed new mechanical arm. “Hey, driver, accompany our captain on an external mission.”
Lu Xiaoyu didn’t hesitate to refuse, “No time.”
Zhuang Qingyan dangled a bait, “Within reasonable limits, an extra chance for procurement.”
Putting down the parts he was holding, Lu Xiaoyu considered and spoke slowly, “I want rhenium blocks, nothing else.”
“100 grams,” Zhuang Qingyan stated.
“500 grams,” Lu Xiaoyu countered.
Zhuang Qingyan turned to leave.
Lu Xiaoyu hissed and quickly compromised, “300!”
Zhuang Qingyan calmly negotiated, “250.”
Lu Xiaoyu coldly stated, “I don’t accept that number.”
Zhuang Qingyan smiled faintly, “Then it’s 270, no more.”
Quickly calculating, Lu Xiaoyu realized that the amount offered by Zhuang Qingyan was just enough to modify a mechanical arm, without any waste or loss. It was clear that he had calculated this beforehand, intentionally setting the limit at the edge.
Internally cursing, Lu Xiaoyu agreed on the surface, “Deal.”
…
The coordinates sent by Yin Xiao were on the border between the Northern Base (District B10) and Tokushima (District B15). These two districts often clashed with deep-seated grievances. Song Ke had heard of the famous “North-Toku Enmity Record” in Qianzhan City: it involved disputes where one day someone would steal another’s top-tier awakener, the next day someone would dare to snatch an S-level commission, and the cycle of retaliation continued.
Driving an armed spacecraft (a public vehicle obtained through S-level authorization), Lu Xiaoyu arrived at the location to find an intense battle underway. Both sides, around twenty to thirty people each, faced off, utilizing different-colored abilities that shimmered and clashed in the air.
The night offered poor visibility, but from the obscure ground contours and the sound of waves crashing against rocks, it was discernible that this was a tidal flat.
Taking in the surroundings, Song Ke felt overwhelmed. The shadows of the day hadn’t completely dissipated, and she couldn’t believe they were going to ask her to fish again!
The spacecraft hovered low, and among the individuals present, Song Ke quickly spotted Yin Xiao. However, it was apparent he didn’t have the time for greetings at the moment.
Under the pitch-black night sky, a lightning-type awakener’s hands flashed with electricity, hurling numerous pulsating orbs swiftly forward like darting serpents.
Amidst the thunder and lightning, Yin Xiao swiftly maneuvered, dodging and rolling. If it were someone else, they would have avoided being turned to ashes from the bombardment. Yet, despite evading and rolling, he managed to find opportunities to counter-attack. Each time he raised his wrist, a precise shot was fired, the light explosive angle cunningly aimed. Even if the lightning-type awakener managed to dodge, the shot found its mark on other opposing awakeners, gradually carving out a vacuum in the chaos.
Song Ke’s gaze narrowed slightly as she assessed from the projected awakened energy – the lightning-type awakener confronting Yin Xiao was an S-level.
Amidst the chaotic volley of electric spheres, the muscles from Yin Xiao’s shoulder to back were taut, but instead of retreating, he surged forward suddenly. Wherever he went, intense flames ignited, and Jennifer promptly supported, using her abilities. The members of the “Tustan” team also freed up their hands to assist.
With a swift slide, Yin Xiao’s abdominal muscles tensed into a straight line as he dodged a series of electric spheres aimed at his face. Moving in close, he suddenly fired his gun. His opponent attempted to evade, but Yin Xiao’s lips curled slightly, seemingly anticipating their reaction. In a flash of electricity and sparks, he shifted his attack to using the butt of his gun towards the opponent’s solar plexus.
Just as success seemed within reach, crack! Suddenly, four black barriers descended on their location, followed by an endless tide of darkness rapidly engulfing and swallowing everything. Whether within the dark void or observing from the outside, everyone lost their vision instantly. An eerie, slender figure cloaked in black materialized slowly from the air, their icy eyes fixed firmly on Yin Xiao.
Song Ke was slightly taken aback. Another S-level? A spatial-type awakener? No, Yin Xiao’s awakened energy was still there; it hadn’t vanished. He was trapped in absolute darkness, deprived of his sight.
The lightning-type awakener was pulled out of Yin Xiao’s attack range by a pair of thin, aged hands. In retaliation, a burst of lightning struck back. Yin Xiao, deprived of vision, relied on his instincts to evade but ultimately took a harsh blow. His military boots left deep imprints in the mud as he dropped to one knee, clutching his abdomen with his left hand, veins bulging on the back of it amidst a gush of fresh blood.
Yin Xiao was an A9 level, facing an S-level opponent who already had a hierarchical advantage, not to mention it was a two-on-one situation.
The usual casual smile on his face disappeared, replaced by a solemn and cold demeanor.
“Lei Zhao, why turn hostile when you arrived at Tokushima? Being so ruthless against former colleagues?” he questioned.
“We’re on different paths,” the lightning-type awakener responded in a deep tone.
Finally, as the two paused, Song Ke found an opportunity to intervene. She and Lu Xiaoyu exchanged a glance before leaping down from the spacecraft.
Thud—!
Dust flew up in the air.
Song Ke landed amidst the two opposing groups, her hands empty, appearing like an innocent bystander who had accidentally wandered into a battlefield while taking a stroll after a meal.
Yet, no one dared to underestimate her. Lei Zhao and the slender woman remained vigilant, assessing her as if facing a formidable adversary.
