Chapter 115: Preparation
Shen Ming’s hands curled. The men around him were cowed, humiliated, and the sound of their resignation filled the courtyard. Some slunk away to lick the wounds of their pride. Others spat beneath their breath and touched the broken limbs of those left bleeding, making their own pacts: wait and avenge.
Ling Yu didn’t flinch at the promises. She expected them. She expected the whispers, the hunger for revenge. That’s what made people predictable. "Goodbye," she said, and turned to go.
Song led the column: Xian Yu was hanging on his shoulder to balance himself, while Nie Ziyu was close by with a bow at the ready, Ye Qingxue’s sword glare matching Ling Yu’s every look. Fluffy sat perched on Ling Yu’s bag, cooing like an imperious baby. The rest of her small circle fell into order behind them.
As they crossed the threshold of Shen Ming’s base, the courtyard felt like a held breath releasing. The men left behind stared after them with bleeding eyes, some with shame, most with wrath, all with the knowledge that their world had been rearranged in one night. The hum of the base’s order cracked.
[Party has departed from the base.
Escape success: 100%.
Rival faction morale decreased by 38%.
Shen Ming’s base stability: compromised.]
[Divine Stream]: Donations spike as viewers cheer the spectacle: +540 coins.
Outside, the darkness of night swallowed them, but even as they walked, Ling Yu felt the press of eyes in the dark. She did not look back even once, since the base was already flattened half to the ground, and for the rest, well, ’that’ person will come by this place anyway, he’ll take care of the rest. She didn’t need to worry about those petty things.
She had the soft shape of a slick silver amulet at Xian Yu’s throat, the warm weight of Fluffy dozing, the faint hum of monster cores, and the map in her head that led away from petty men and toward a world where power made safety, and safety made gods listen.
Behind them, in the hot, raw courtyard, Shen Ming’s men counted their losses and promised revenge in whispers that tasted of blood. The base would not forget. He would plot. He would watch streams, prod sponsors, and send spies. But for now, the small procession had vanished into the ruined city like smoke, and the courtyard’s echoes belonged to the dead.
[System Update]
[New Title has been gained!
Title: Blood-wreathed Sovereign
(temporary reveal due to public suppression event).
Passive Effect: Enemy morale debuff within the vicinity +22% for 72 hours.
Fluffy yawned. Xian Yu slept more deeply, and Song’s steely face relaxed into something like satisfaction. Ling Yu felt the small chorus of divine approval vibrate through the interface. a mixture of awe, interest, and promises for the future. She allowed herself, just for the barest heartbeat, a smile that belonged not to kindness but to the knowledge that she had broken a chain.
Then she walked on.
.
.
.
The ruins stretched before them like a half-rotted battlefield. Cracked highways split apart by vines that seemed too hungry for soil, buildings leaning against one another like drunkards trying not to collapse, and in the air that odd static hum that always preceded a wave. Ling Yu had felt it once, twice, and now a third time, and each time, the weight of it made her skin crawl in ways even the Damned didn’t.
She halted. Her boots pressed into grit and moss. The group behind her stopped automatically, as though gravity itself had tied them to her presence. The faint blue glow of her [Blood-wreathed Sovereign] title still lingered in the air like ghostly banners, making even her own allies slightly shiver under its oppressive aura.
"Enough wandering," she said, turning on her heel. "The third wave is close. You’ve had time to train while we gathered resources. Tell me—" Her eyes swept across them, sharp as a blade. "What progress have you made?"
Nie Ziyu lowered his bow from his shoulder, his voice steady but eager. "Hmph! My archery has advanced. With the beast cores I absorbed, my arrows now pierce even chitin armor. My stamina still needs work... but I won’t miss the kill when it matters!"
Ye Qingxue rested her palm on her sword hilt, her tone as cold as her blade. "My blade resonance has grown. I can channel spiritual energy through it, cutting deeper. I need practice syncing my rhythm with the team’s movements... but my sword won’t falter."
Xian Yu was sitting cross-legged as he raised his hand slightly. His pale fingers glowed faintly, threads of emerald healing light slipping between them like fireflies. "My healing potency has risen significantly. Each time I heal Miss Ling, the system progress bar rises..." He glanced at Ling Yu, a faint determination in his usually gentle eyes. "I will not fail this teamwork, Miss. You’ll have your healer."
Song, who had been silent until now, rested his spear against the cracked pavement. His voice was low, carrying the weight of mountains. "My spear techniques have sharpened. My endurance has doubled since the last hunt. But more than that—" He met Ling Yu’s eyes. "I’ve been practicing synchronization drills. I can adjust my tempo to cover our weak points, no matter how the enemy presses."
Fluffy, perched smugly on Ling Yu’s bag, thumped its tiny paw against its chest as if saying, ’Don’t forget me! I’ve learned Mega Bite! I can chew through iron beams now.’ As it flapped its small and non-existent wings, little fur balls flew from them. At first, they may have seemed to be insignificant, but Nie Ziyu was laughing at it while the fur balls exploded at his feet, startling him. If Fluffy can do it right, then it may even help them distract the monsters and make it easy for them to take care of fights, too.
Ling Yu’s lips twitched, though she didn’t fully smile. Her eyes, sharp and calculating, swept across them all. "Good. All of you are progressing. But progress without unity is useless."