TL: Moonlit
Upon seeing hope, Yu Jinhui decided to buy some time and said, “They are indeed with me, and they are all talented individuals. I invited them as guests. There’s no talk of cutting off hands, ahhh!”
A desperate scream echoed from outside the car, causing the pursuing vehicle to sway and nearly flip over.
Wen Qingling opened the car window and threw a severed hand outside, which smashed into the windshield of the car behind. As they saw what it was, they were all shocked.
Yu Jinhui’s hand was unmistakable to them, especially the unique ring on his finger, which confirmed the owner’s identity.
They realized the situation had escalated and were about to send a car back to report when thick, sturdy vines suddenly emerged from the ground. Like giant octopus tentacles, they whipped around, flinging away the chasing cars. Then, in the astonished gazes of the pedestrians, they vanished into thin air. It all felt like a dream, except for the damaged ground and the cars that had been thrown out. Otherwise, no one would believe that what just happened was real.
Wen Qingling calmly wiped the blood off the knife, “Can you tell me the truth now? Where are they?”
Yu Jinhui, in excruciating pain and losing consciousness, sweat mixed with blood dripping down, said, “In… the basement of my villa…”
Wen Qingling replied, “Lead the way.”
Yu Jinlin had just returned from the garden with some fresh flowers and was pruning them when she heard the commotion outside.
She put down her scissors and asked, “Who is outside?”
A burly man, covered in blood, stumbled in and said, “Madam! Madam, please save Jinhui!”
As Yu Jinlin caught sight of the severed hand the man was holding, she screamed in horror and sternly scolded, “Why are you bringing such filthy things into the house? Throw it out!”
The burly man didn’t dare to throw it away and said, “Madam, this is Jinhui’s hand…”
“What did you say?!” Yu Jinlin stood up abruptly.
Nie Tianling was still working when he received a call from Yu Jinlin. She was crying so heavily on the other end that she was about to faint. She urgently asked Nie Tianling to save someone. Yu Jinhui had been captured and had his hand chopped off, and his life was at stake.
Nie Tianling was also shocked and couldn’t understand who would dare to be so bold as to harm their Nie family in the Sixth District. They clearly didn’t regard their Nie family highly enough!
Xiao Hen’s car stopped in front of a villa.
“This is the place…” Yu Jinhui, losing too much blood, was barely holding on. He was afraid that if he lost consciousness, he would lose his life. “I can go down and have them… release the person…”
“No need.” Wen Qingling scanned with his psychic power and saw the scene in the basement, causing his heart to tremble.
Wen Qingling dragged Yu Jinhui out of the car, and the subordinates guarding outside the villa panicked as they saw their leader covered in blood being carried out. They didn’t dare to approach or leave, so they could only follow them cautiously.
Yu Jinhui, held hostage by Wen Qingling, was dragged all the way to the basement.
Wen Qingling said, “Open the door!”
Yu Jinhui quickly had someone open the door, his heart filled with intense hatred. The ferocity in his eyes was almost impossible to hide. He wanted them to die! Only by thinking about all the ways they could die could he barely maintain his sanity.
As the metal door opened, a dense, bloody smell filled the air. Wen Qingling tossed the person in his hand to Xiao Hen and walked in quickly.
Luo Fengjue sat numbly at the long table, assembling the energy gun, while Mi Yan lay on the blood-stained double sofa, his face pale, and his breathing weak. Both of his wrists were wrapped in bandages, which had turned dark red, soaked in blood countless times.
Wen Qingling stood still, appearing somewhat dazed.
Wasn’t his precognition about things that were about to happen? He had rushed here as quickly as possible to save them, so why was he still too late?
Mi Yan’s hands were no longer there.
Wen Qingling turned around and looked at Yu Jinhui, who was being held by Xiao Hen. His gaze seemed like he could devour him.
Yu Jinhui hurriedly said, “His hands will grow back soon… really!”
Wen Qingling’s expression was something Xiao Hen had never seen before. Should he be grateful that Wen Qingling, the little zombie, finally showed emotional fluctuations?
Xiao Hen said, “Let’s first see how he’s doing.”
Mi Yan’s condition looked very grim; he could die at any moment.
Luo Fengjue slowly lifted his head, his dull eyes regaining some luster when he saw Wen Qingling. Gradually, his focus returned, breaking free from the numbness. He stood up, looking incredulously at the person before him.
“Qing, Qingling?” Luo Fengjue thought he was dreaming.
How could Wen Qingling be here? Wasn’t he in the distant Ling City? He couldn’t possibly be here…
“It’s me. How are you?” Wen Qingling walked over, pressing an energy ball onto Mi Yan’s body. Then, he opened his backpack and took out water and mutant beef.
“Have some first to replenish your energy. We’ll need strength to run later,” Wen Qingling said.
If it were just Wen Qingling and Xiao Hen, they could create chaos without consequences. No one could catch them. But with Luo Fengjue and Mi Yan, it would be different. Once they were captured, all their efforts would be in vain.
After confirming that the person before him was indeed Wen Qingling, Luo Fengjue’s numb brain began to rapidly think. Seeing Yu Jinhui, covered in blood, at the entrance, Luo Fengjue had already deduced the current situation. Now was not the time for emotional release. He took the meat and water and began eating voraciously.
Trapped in this dark underground basement, their daily food was barely enough to keep them from starving. No one cared if they were hungry or thirsty as long as they didn’t die.
Wen Qingling also pressed an energy ball onto Luo Fengjue, replenishing his vitality and healing his wounds. When Luo Fengjue finished eating the meat and drinking the water, Wen Qingling asked him, “Can you walk?”
Luo Fengjue nodded vigorously and picked up two assembled energy guns from the long table. Seeing this, Wen Qingling packed the remaining guns into the backpack and bent down to carry Mi Yan from the sofa. “Let’s go!”
Xiao Hen dragged Yu Jinhui, and his subordinates didn’t dare to make any reckless moves. They could only follow them cautiously as they left the basement.
Wen Qingling asked Luo Fengjue, “Can you drive?”
“No problem!” Luo Fengjue got into the driver’s seat.
Wen Qingling and Mi Yan sat in the backseat, while Xiao Hen took the passenger seat. Luo Fengjue stepped on the accelerator, and the car rushed out.
Xiao Hen let go of Yu Jinhui, and he fell to the ground. A group of people swarmed in, only to be greeted by a vine hell!
The car sped along, leaving the villa area and heading towards other districts.
The Sixth District belonged to the Nie family. They could only be safe if they escaped from the Sixth District. On their escape route, they encountered multiple blockades, but Wen Qingling’s vine hell broke through all the checkpoints. Their whereabouts had been exposed, and the Nie family’s people pursued them frantically.
Noticing their madness, Xiao Hen sensed that something was wrong. “Did you kill Yu Jinhui?”
Wen Qingling replied with hatred, “If I didn’t kill him, would he let us celebrate the New Year?”
Wen Qingling regretted his past soft-heartedness. Otherwise, Xu Shengfei, Fang Zhen, and Yin Cheng would have died long ago, and they wouldn’t be causing trouble now.
Xiao Hen: “…”
They had offended both sides, so it didn’t matter if they offended them completely.
“Watch out!” Luo Fengjue exclaimed.
The road ahead was blocked by a blue pickup truck, and a soldier aimed an energy cannon at their off-road vehicle.
“Hold on!”
Xiao Hen controlled the steering wheel to prevent Luo Fengjue from turning. At such high speed, the only possibility of turning was flipping the car.
Luo Fengjue closed his eyes, stepped on the accelerator, and the off-road vehicle charged forward without swerving.
The soldier fired…
But just before the shot, the cannon pointed upwards, releasing a firework. The powerful, twisting vines moved aside all the obstructing vehicles, allowing the off-road vehicle to pass unhindered.
The terrifying vines disappeared again, leaving only the terrified screams of onlookers.
It was the first time Luo Fengjue witnessed Wen Qingling’s power. He was so astonished that he couldn’t find the words to express himself.
The off-road vehicle reached the boundary between the Sixth District and the Fourth District, and Xiao Hen decided to abandon the car.
The vehicle was too conspicuous and drew too much attention. They couldn’t bring the battlefield into the Fourth District.
Wen Qingling held Mi Yan, Xiao Hen pulled Luo Fengjue, and the two of them ran and jumped through streets and alleys. Many people felt a gust of wind passing by but couldn’t see any figures, creating a scene as eerie as a haunted place.
When they finally stopped, Luo Fengjue’s once messy long hair was now straightened out. He wore an expression of doubt and couldn’t stand on his weak legs, turning around to vomit.
Damn… it was even more thrilling than racing cars!
Luo Fengjue felt exhausted and said, “Are you… Are you still human? Is that a speed achievable by humans?”
Wen Qingling replied, “No.”
Luo Fengjue exclaimed, “What… What do you mean?”
Not what? Not human? Damn it, are they not even willing to be human anymore?
Luo Fengjue misinterpreted Wen Qingling’s words as a joke.
General Nie was still in a meeting at the military headquarters. Ever since the development of energy weapons, such meetings were held frequently, and the conflicts between the major districts intensified. Everyone wanted to gain greater benefits from the “City Plan.”
General Yin slammed the table, making a loud noise. “Since we want to advance the ‘City Plan’ together, we need unity. Arguing every day without a leader, like headless dragons, is a waste of time. When will humanity truly return to the city?”
General Mo raised his sharp eyebrows. “So, General Yin, who do you think should be elected as the leader?”
General Yin replied, “Naturally, whoever has the strongest power should be the leader!”
He practically implied that only their Yin faction could become the leader.
No one present was a fool. Once this “leader” was chosen, it would be equivalent to the “Chairman” or “President” of the new world. It would be easy to push someone up, but difficult to pull them down. After struggling for so long, no one was willing to make sacrifices for others.
General Mo sneered, “Without a fight, how can we determine who is the strongest?”
General Yin raised his old eyes. “Could it be that General Mo wants to initiate an internal conflict?”
General Mo was equally resolute. “If General Yin thinks it’s necessary, I will accompany you.”
After the conflict between the Xiao faction and the Yin faction, now the Yin faction was fighting with the Mo faction.
General Hua smiled and said, “The generals have worked hard and achieved great results. It’s difficult to convince everyone by choosing someone as the ‘leader.’ It’s better to stick to the old ways and promote the plan together, each developing according to their own abilities.”
General Lei’s voice was deep and powerful. “Since it’s based on abilities, why don’t we open a gate in the Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Districts? Who says the central metropolis can only have gates in four directions?”
General Lei’s proposal naturally gained the support of General Xia and General Nie. It was beneficial to their side, and there was no reason to disagree.
General Hua smiled, maintaining a calm pace in his speech. “The Four Cardinal Directions must not be disturbed. The rules left by our ancestors have their own reasons. Nobody wants to jeopardize the metropolis by breaking the balance of the Four Cardinal Directions, right?”
Nonsense!
The generals wanted to curse. They could come up with any reason to protect their own interests!
