Chapter Forty-Five: Fighting for You (Part One)

I have never known what in this world is worth protecting, what is worth fighting for. Xie Liu planted his sniper rifle upright on the frost-bitten rock, the mountain wind biting cold as he wrapped himself tighter in his black coat. For the first time, anger ignited within him—a nameless fury, burning like wildfire across the plains, roaring skyward, racing into the distance. But this time, he wanted to fight, truly, from the heart. He had never felt this urge to protect someone—not in ages, perhaps never. Yet fate refused to grant him such a chance.

He spat out the crushed candy in his mouth and hefted the sniper rifle onto his shoulder.

Angel was already dead. The one he wished to protect was gone at the very moment he wished to do so. The rage in Xie Liu's heart had nowhere to go; all he wanted now was to kill. Since he was already at odds with the City of Fantasy, he might as well make the so-called assassins of the city feel the pain!

With that thought, Xie Liu walked toward his teammates, who were still gathered around Angel’s body. The sweet, gentle girl was gone. Xie Liu felt a sharp, twisting pain in his chest. He stepped forward and called loudly, "Enough, don't crowd here. Let Angel rest in peace. We have things to—"

"Xie Liu, come quickly!" Ye Ling spotted him and shouted, "Come look!" Xie Liu stared at her, surprised—her eyes held not sorrow, but astonishment and excitement.

What happened? He wondered, seeing the mixed looks of confusion and joy on his teammates' faces. Frowning, he stepped closer as Ye Ling made space. Looking over, he expected to see Angel’s remains, but instead, Xie Liu froze—Angel was sitting upright on the ground, her eyes wide open, staring at everyone.

The wound in her chest was still there, but Angel was alive!

There was no blood, and Xie Liu could see with his own eyes that the hole in her chest was healing at a visible pace.

"What’s going on?" he blurted. Gong Hou shook his head, "You’re right. Angel might be from the Special Alliance..." He left the sentence unfinished, but Xie Liu understood: Angel’s recovery was too uncanny, even for someone like himself, a mutant. Surviving a pierced heart was impossible unless she was a modified human from the Special Alliance.

That made her identity clear. Xie Liu and his companions exchanged glances, but Ye Ling spoke up, "I don't care about any of that. After all these days, can you still not lower your guard?"

Xie Liu sighed. Guarded heart... When had he stopped trusting others? At least, from Vladimir he had learned Angel was not some evil being. And so, what fault did the child Angel have? Was immortality a crime?

Perhaps she would carry many burdens in the future.

With that, Xie Liu’s gaze toward Angel grew gentle. Angel looked bewildered, perhaps not understanding why everyone gathered around her, nor why their faces were lit with relief. But seeing her brothers and sisters so happy, her delicate face broke into a carefree, innocent smile.

"The City will likely detect Angel's life and death. The pursuit will be relentless," Xie Liu cradled his sniper rifle, a cold smile on his lips. "Let them come."

...

"Angel, come here," Xie Liu waved to her. For some reason, Angel no longer seemed afraid of him—she wouldn’t cling to him, but she didn’t avoid him either.

Seeing Xie Liu smiling as he beckoned, she nodded and answered. He drew her close, handed her a lollipop, and gently tapped her back, attaching a barely visible blue light to her. "Where do you want to play?" he asked with a smile.

"The sea!" Angel answered without hesitation. Xie Liu raised his eyebrows and laughed, "Alright. Angel, would you like to drive a hovercraft?"

"Yes!" Angel nodded happily. Xie Liu’s smile deepened. "Go ask Sister Ye Ling if she wants to go too."

"Okay." The innocent Angel nodded and ran toward Ye Ling, who was cooking breakfast nearby.

"You gave her the 'Absolute Defense Energy' rewarded by the City? Are you sure about this?" Gong Hou watched Angel run off, sighing, "That was awarded to you for your excellent performance against S-class special agents."

"This thing can block one lethal blow for you," Gong Hou glanced at Xie Liu. "Honestly, even though you seem to dislike Angel the most, you’re actually the one who spoils her most."

"Say that again and I'll tear your mouth off," Xie Liu glared, but Gong Hou ignored it. "You’re such a tsundere."

"I’ll shoot you in the head!" Xie Liu had already drawn his silver Desert Eagle.

...

Public transport was no longer viable. The City of Fantasy was in contact with all nations; no matter what vehicle they took, the City could track them. With this in mind, Xie Liu’s group chose to leave on foot.

"Do you have any ideas?" Ye Ling asked Xie Liu, glancing at Angel asleep on Gong Hou's back, worry etched on her face.

Xie Liu shook his head. "I don't know. We're at odds with the whole world now. Frankly, I don’t know what to do except take it one step at a time."

Even Xie Liu, always considering the way out, was lost? Ye Ling felt a heavy weight inside. Xie Liu had always been the team’s decision-maker; his choices weren’t always right, but his execution was unmatched, and he always looked furthest ahead. Though no one liked to admit it, the whole team depended on him, this unreliable—and truly unreliable—man.

His words brought silence; Xie Liu’s meaning was clear—he saw no way out, and morale plummeted.

But then he spoke, "Don’t worry so much. We don’t have time to think about whether we’ll survive. We need to focus on how to survive the next step."

"There is another way," Xie Liu continued, pointing at Gong Hou and Lin Yang. "If you two become Level Ten ability users, everything will be solved. Even the City of Fantasy would have to recruit you, and then..." He flashed a sly grin, "The method is simple: keep fighting, keep using your abilities to stimulate yourselves. I’ve already figured out how to help you level up quickly."

"As expected, this cunning guy always has a backup plan," everyone thought silently. Gong Hou and Lin Yang were unhappy. "Why us?" Xie Liu shrugged. "If we wait for all of us to reach Level Ten, we’ll be dead of old age."

"Strength. That's what we desperately need now!" Xie Liu said seriously. "This world answers to force. Fairness, peace—those are lies to lull the masses. Our seemingly peaceful world is just a dystopian portrait."

They had crossed a mountain peak. This island nation was strange—surrounded by sea, yet the center was a chain of mountains. "Are we heading west?" Lin Yang asked. "If we go east, down the mountain, isn’t that the sea?"

Xie Liu shook his head, "That was just to placate Angel. We can’t go to the coast now." He sucked on a lollipop, "I want to go to the west coast, find a way home. This country isn’t ours; it’s too dangerous. And to avoid the City’s surveillance, I’ve cut off global translation—only regional translation remains, just between us and Angel. Now even communicating with locals is a problem. Gong Hou and I know a bit of the language—what about you?"

The others’ faces changed. It was indeed a problem.

Xie Liu sighed. "Sometimes you guys need to use your brains. We’re on the edge of death now. One wrong move and we’re doomed. I can’t think of everything myself."

"And another thing—I don’t want innocent people dragged in." He turned to look behind him, the looming mountains intimidating. "The City of Fantasy is one thing, but if the Special Alliance gets involved, will they care about civilians? Will they act in the city?"

His gaze lingered on the sleeping Angel. No matter what she was—modified by the Special Alliance or not—it wasn’t her fault. She was just a child, a child who worried about lunch and donuts. If he couldn’t protect even that innocent heart, he would lose all meaning as a human.

By midday, they had crossed another mountain. Xie Liu, with his keen eyesight, led the way. Through dense woods, he spotted a winding mountain road ahead. "We need a car."

...

Mr. Fukushima felt a surge of anger. His newly bought SUV, barely driven for a few days, had been snatched by a group of odd-looking strangers. He couldn’t understand their garbled language, but their speed in taking his car was astonishing. He remembered how the last young man in black tossed him a card, pressed his hands together, and said with a terribly accented phrase: "I’m really sorry." It reeked of anime.

Fukushima picked up the card left by the black-clad youth, wondering if he should call the police—perhaps check the card first, and then...

"Thank you very much." Fukushima nearly wept; the amount on the card was more than he could spend in ten lifetimes.

...

"Did you really give him all the money?" Ye Ling was displeased, comforting Angel in her arms and glancing at Xie Liu behind the wheel, whose expression was grave. "Don’t worry. That was Vladimir’s card. Do you think they’ll track us through it?"

"But what about later? We don’t even have cash—" Before she finished, Xie Liu tossed her a small pouch. Ye Ling opened it to find it full of banknotes. "I exchanged a million this morning. Not much, but enough for a while. Once we’re home, you can use your own card."

Ye Ling was speechless. The man before her always completed everything before she noticed. Yes, he was careless, messy, always laughing, a man who looked utterly unreliable. But unless you truly got to know him, you’d never realize he thought further ahead than most.

As a friend, he wasn’t trustworthy. But as a comrade, he was surprisingly dependable. Thinking this, Ye Ling felt a wave of reassurance and sleepiness wash over her. "You’re tired too. Rest well," Xie Liu said softly. Ye Ling blinked; everyone except Lin Yang in the back seats was already asleep.

Yes, everyone was exhausted. With that, Ye Ling too felt tired and soon drifted off, Angel quietly leaning her head in her arms, slipping into dreams. In the end, only the monotonous hum of the car remained. Xie Liu glanced in the rearview mirror. "Lin Yang, why aren’t you sleeping?"

Lin Yang’s face was serious. "Can you hold out? Out of all of us, you’re the most exhausted."

Xie Liu’s lips curled in a mocking smile. "Want to drive instead? The problem is, do you know how?"

Lin Yang was speechless. Xie Liu smirked at him in the mirror. "I told you all not to forget basic skills. You’re used to Vladimir’s luxury self-driving cars—now you’re helpless."

Lin Yang turned away. "Damn, so frustrating—can’t even retort."

Long silence fell, broken only by the engine’s roar and the scenery racing past, the world seeming to spin in a repeating scroll. Xie Liu bit his lip; as drowsiness crept in, it gnawed at his nerves. "How much longer can I last? I don’t know."

His right hand unconsciously drew a blade from his sleeve and stabbed it into his thigh. The pain jolted him awake. "Over a hundred kilometers of mountain road to the next town—falling asleep now would be disastrous."

...

"Drowsiness can be a form of mental attack." On the far side of the mountain, another group had reached the foothills, led by a blonde, blue-eyed girl whose noble bearing was unmistakable. She wore a purple dress, unadorned, her golden hair loose and shining. She seemed to glow, not just because of her exquisitely sculpted, cup-like silver face, but also her peerless aura.

Like a well-bred noble lady, every gesture radiated grace, every smile brimmed with charm and confidence. She gazed across the mountain. "What day is it?"

"The fourth day, Sister," replied another girl beside her. Compared to the noble lady, the girl squatting on a rock was entirely different. Except for the essentials, she exposed most of her body—a pair of delicate purple sandals, denim shorts cut up to the thighs, and a top that barely counted as a chest wrap. A blade of grass hung from her lips, a wicked smile showing off a tiger tooth.

Her purple eyes matched her classic Eastern face, her short purple hair ended in a single long ponytail trailing to her ankles. Her exposed body exuded violent energy—a kind of indescribable aesthetic, sleek like a leopard, always giving the impression of speed and explosive power. Even squatting, her height matched the "Sister" beside her. "Sister, can you see anything? Our time is running out."

"Some of them are already asleep; only one is holding out, but he seems very tired." The noble lady—called Sister—spoke. "But it’s too far. I can’t sense their exact location. Besides, they have a mental ability user among them—a direct scan would alert them."

"Ah, as expected of Sister Franny, famed for her mental strength. They’re a hundred kilometers away, and you can still sense their state." The exposed girl grinned, showing her tiger tooth. "Such a powerful Sister, it’s just irresistible. Ah, I’m utterly captivated."

"Wendy!" Franny scolded helplessly, knowing it was futile. Wendy grinned and waved behind her. "Hey, Angela, hand me my sword."

"Ah? Oh… sorry, wait…" A cute girl finally responded, hurriedly tossing the "sword" to Wendy, who caught the flashlight-shaped object and hung it at her waist. "Haha, I can't help but stir up some trouble."