Chapter 101: Stay Alert
But she ignored it all.
Because in her mind, Shen Ming’s obsession was not a threat. It was a tool.
’So long as he keeps feeding us, why should I care about his heart’s festering? Let him obsess and dig his own grave. When the time comes, it will be his undoing, not mine.’
And with that, Ling Yu accepted another bottle of purified water with a smile so faint it might not have existed at all.
★★★
The city’s skeleton groaned beneath the sun’s pale eye as Shen Ming’s group entered the designated scavenging area.
It was too quiet.
The cracked streets stretched long and empty, dust whispering faintly in the wind. Windows gaped open like hollow sockets, no shadows flitting within, no rustle of rats or scurry of birds. Even the ever-present distant howls that had haunted their journey were muted here, swallowed by the silence.
The ordinary members of the group, their arms weighed down by salvaged rations and scavenged scraps, were smiling with relief.
"Lucky! This area’s clean."
"Not a single monster. We can just take and leave."
"Maybe our luck’s finally turning."
But Ling Yu’s steps slowed.
Her lashes lowered, eyes narrowing at the absence of sound. Not even insects or any flutter of wings, there is not even a bat like those haunted houses shown in the movies. Only silence, a complete and suffocating silence.
This isn’t luck.
This is bait.
Beside her, Xian Yu hesitated. The hairs along his arms prickled as his gaze swept the still buildings. His lips parted, but before he could speak, Ling Yu tilted her head and whispered, low enough for only him to hear.
"Quiet. Stay alert."
His breath caught.
"...You sense it too?"
Ling Yu’s gaze remained on Shen Ming’s back, his figure moving with infuriating lightheartedness as he directed scavengers toward broken storefronts.
"He doesn’t notice," she murmured. "Or he is pretending not to."
Xian Yu blinked.
Pretends not to understand?
"His sponsor hasn’t warned him? Or..." Ling Yu’s lips curved in a mirthless smile. "...perhaps he’s been told to let it happen."
Xian Yu’s pulse jumped, but he forced himself to swallow the panic rising in his chest. Ling Yu leaned slightly closer, her words like cold steel against his ear.
"Get ready. You’ll be my lifeline. Heal me constantly, no hesitation or any breaks. I’ll cut and you mend it. Understand?"
The weight of her certainty pressed into him. For a heartbeat, fear strangled him. But then, something steadier flared in his chest.
"...Yes, Master," he whispered, voice trembling yet firm. His fingers flexed, preparing the faint glow of his skill.
At that moment, Shen Ming’s head tilted slightly, his polished smile ever intact as he strolled back toward them. His gaze flicked between their lowered heads, their hushed voices.
"What are you two whispering about?" he asked lightly, feigning curiosity.
Ling Yu straightened, her gaze slicing toward him, calm and cutting. "Don’t you think it’s strange?"
Shen Ming blinked, smile frozen in place. "Strange?"
"This silence." Her eyes glimmered like blades in the dim light. "Don’t you feel it? This is the kind of silence before something hunts."
His lips parted, but before he could answer, the world shifted.
A low, resonant growl rippled across the air. The cracked asphalt quivered beneath their feet.
Then, from the hollow windows, the broken alleys, and the rooftops above, shadows spilled forth.
They dropped like thunder.
Massive shapes, fur matted and black, muscles bulging with sinew. Yellow eyes gleamed in the dim light, sharp tusk-like fangs glistening with saliva. Their long arms slammed into the ground as they landed, surrounding the group in a tightening circle.
System notifications screamed across Ling Yu’s vision:
[Warning: Group of Tertiary-Class Monsters Detected.]
[Identified: Ironhide Howler Apes (2nd Class, Tertiary Tier).]
[Quantity: 18.]
[Threat Level: Extremely High.]
The air vibrated with guttural roars as the apes pounded their chests, their voices like thunder reverberating through hollow streets.
The scavengers froze, terror blanching their faces. A few dropped their bags, stumbling back, but there was nowhere to run.
They were surrounded by the monsters.
Fluffy arched its back on Ling Yu’s shoulder, fur bristling, teeth bared in a sharp hiss.
[Unknown Cosmic Deity shouts gleefully.]
["Blood! Yes! Show me carnage!"]
[Hecate whispers by himself.]
["Hehe... How curious... this silence was unnatural. It was a planned den?"]
[Ares booms at the Streamer.]
[Fight, Lower Being! Tear them down and prove your worth!"]
[Fluffy yips: "Ugly monkeys! Don’t touch my human, or I’ll bite your ears off!"]
The stream comments flooded, a storm of divine voices, but Ling Yu tuned them out.
Her pulse was calm, her expression unchanging. Her gaze swept over the encroaching apes, counting, analyzing, memorizing their muscle distribution, the jagged scars that marked their hides.
Then she stepped forward.
"Form a circle!" Shen Ming shouted, voice sharp now, stripped of its soft politeness. "Protect the center and don’t let them break the formation! Hold the line!"
Panic-scrambled survivors obeyed, huddling together, raising scavenged weapons that shook in their hands.
But Ling Yu didn’t fall back.
Instead, she glanced at Xian Yu. His hands were trembling, light glowing faint around his fingers.
"Don’t freeze," she ordered calmly. "Start healing. Now."
He swallowed as he nodded his head, and the glow surged brighter. A thread of warmth wrapped around her, bolstering her veins, stitching resilience into her flesh.
Ling Yu’s lips curved.
Good. At least he listens well, unlike those brats back at the station.
The brats she referred to was none other than Nie Ziyu and Ye Qingxue, who were arguing with each other day in and day out. Song looked after them and protected them on her orders, though he seemed a bit unwilling.
So she sent all three of them to run an errand, it will also help her to get them to stay away from Shen Ming, when any conflict appears, she can leave the station without worrying about them.
The apes roared, and charged at the group.