Chapter Fifty: Life and Death

Lin Yang pulled Ye Ling behind a crumbling wall. Before them lay an abandoned village, said to have been destroyed by an earthquake years ago—now utterly deserted. The group, desperate to escape their pursuers, had fled here in haste.

“Did you spot the enemy’s position?” Lin Yang asked. Ye Ling shook her head, clutching the guitar case to her chest; sorrow clouded her face. That was Xie Liu’s guitar case, the one that hid his sniper rifle.

Lin Yang shot Ye Ling a glance, his voice icy: “Don’t worry. Dead Eye won’t have died in vain.” He gripped the dagger tighter in his hand—Xie Liu’s old blade.

“The five of us have been through so much together. Who’d have thought that bastard would die here, and in such a pointless way?” Lin Yang let out a bitter laugh, wiping moisture from his eye. “Don’t worry. We’ll carry out your wish.” He raised his hand, making a gesture, and in his mind came Gong Hou’s furious voice: “That person must die!”

The others’ thoughts echoed in his mind as well, all burning with a desire for vengeance.

Last night, Angel had woken Ye Ling and the others with a shout. Learning Xie Liu was in danger, they’d rushed to the scene, only to find he’d vanished; only a pool of blood remained to speak of the struggle that had taken place. Aside from Xie Liu’s dagger, found not far from the blood, there was no sign of him. Fearing the worst, they’d hurriedly packed and set out that same night. It wasn’t until they’d reached this ruined village that Li Shizhu noticed someone was tailing them. Lin Yang signaled everyone to lie in ambush—they would avenge Xie Liu here.

Lin Yang and Gong Hou had taken up positions at the front. In the chaos, Ye Ling had dropped Xie Liu’s guitar case, and as she ran back to retrieve it, their enemy reached the village entrance. Lin Yang grabbed Ye Ling and dashed behind a battered wall—thus unfolding the scene at hand.

Lin Yang closed his eyes, recalling the scene at the village entrance. Suddenly, Li Shizhu’s voice sounded in his mind: “They’re here!” Lin Yang nodded. His pink lightsaber flashed to life, and in the next instant, he vanished from Ye Ling’s sight.

“Die!” Lin Yang shouted coldly, descending in a spinning arc from above. His pink saber spiraled down, but the woman in purple below made no move to evade. Her violet blade shot out, meeting Lin Yang’s head-on. Sparks of pink plasma erupted between the clashing sabers. Lin Yang was stunned; he twisted away, leaping back into the air. His saber whirled, pink plasma trailing in graceful, sweeping arcs.

The plasma crackled as it landed, setting the weeds around ablaze. Lin Yang’s pupils narrowed. “A high-frequency lightsaber?”

His own pink saber was already flickering, unstable—even one clash had damaged it so badly. “Who are you? How did you come by the ‘Violet Star,’ one of the Seven Supreme Blades?”

“State your name,” the purple-haired Wendy said, lowering the Violet Star with a mocking smile. Lin Yang snorted, raising his saber again. Wendy eyed his faltering blade with a carefree laugh. “That’s the cheapest ‘frequencyless lightsaber’—one hit and it’s already falling apart. Still want to fight?”

“Save your breath!” Lin Yang snapped, already moving. His unstable saber, driven by his anger, lunged at his foe. Wendy sneered—did this fool not see his predicament? Well, she’d give him a lesson, short of killing him.

She raised her sword, its arc deadly and beautiful. Yet Lin Yang only smirked.

He vanished, replaced by a hulking figure clad in armor swinging a massive battle axe!

Wendy was caught off-guard, hastily raising the Violet Star to block. The axe crashed down; Wendy grunted—such force, even she struggled to withstand it. The ground erupted beneath her, every muscle in her body trembling—not from fear, but exhilaration.

Like a cannonball, Wendy flew backwards, smashing through a wall before coming to a stop.

“Ha, it’s been too long since I’ve felt this!” She stood amid the rubble, brushing off dust without a care. “To send me flying—that’s impressive, even for an esper.” She laughed heartily, then raised her hand. In a flash, Lin Yang’s figure reappeared, saber swinging. Wendy parried; the two exchanged over a dozen blows, pink plasma flying with every strike. Wendy advanced, sweeping her sword—Lin Yang’s image vanished, leaving only an afterimage behind. Wendy grunted, stabbing at the shadow, then spun and slashed to the side. A deafening clang rang out—Lin Yang materialized from the void and was flung backward, leaving another afterimage.

“Spatial movement?” Wendy frowned. Before she could react, two bolts of electricity flashed through the woods. Sensing danger, she vaulted skyward; two golden streaks of plasma seared the ground where she’d stood, burning out after dozens of meters.

“Railgun, eh?” She glanced toward the woods, then felt a gust at her back. With a cold snort, she twisted midair and swung her blade—just as an axe crashed down. The air exploded in a thunderous shockwave, slamming Wendy into the ground. The impact sent tremors through the earth, raising a cloud of dust two meters high.

“Got her!” Gong Hou landed, leaving a crater. He peered into the swirling dust and called out.

Lin Yang joined him, his lightsaber on the verge of collapse, eyes blazing as he fixed his gaze ahead. When the dust cleared, Wendy emerged—completely unharmed.

She cracked her neck and sneered at the two men. “Thought I was dead for a moment there.”

“Is she even human?” Gong Hou swallowed hard. That blow could topple an elephant—yet this woman was unscathed. “Must be a T. rex reincarnated…”

“I heard that, and I’m not amused.” Wendy stepped out of the rubble. “You in the woods—stop skulking and come out. Your attacks are useless against me.” At her words, Xu Xiong appeared at the tree line, face grim.

“An electromaster,” Wendy assessed, nodding. “From the power you just unleashed, at least level six, possibly seven.” She glanced at Lin Yang. “A spatial esper—rare. Judging by your movement rate, your fastest was half a second. Likely level eight, or higher.” Lastly, she turned to Gong Hou, her gaze grave. “A telekinetic, eh? From your strength, at least level eight, possibly nine. In terms of raw power, you’re the only one who can match me.” Those two swings had made Wendy feel real danger.

“Really now, did the city have to send so many high-level espers just for Angel?” Wendy was a little vexed. She herself was only level eight, though far stronger than most of her rank. Still, being surrounded by so many powerhouses was hardly pleasant.

“You killed one of ours. Today, either you die or I do!” Lin Yang barked. Wendy blinked. “Huh? What did you say?”

Before she could finish, Lin Yang appeared before her. “What the hell!” Wendy shouted as Lin Yang attacked. Though his strength and speed were far inferior, his unique teleportation allowed him to hold his own for a time. But as they clashed, Lin Yang’s weapon clearly couldn’t keep up. After a dozen exchanges, his lightsaber suddenly sputtered out. Wendy seized the opening, stabbing at his left arm. Lin Yang barely managed to teleport away, but her burning sword sliced his sleeve, drawing blood.

“Damn it!” Lin Yang glanced at his ruined weapon and at Gong Hou and Xu Xiong moving in. Gong Hou, with his raw power, could barely hold his own; Xu Xiong could only defend himself with his electromagnetic abilities.

“Damn it, is this all I can do against the one who killed Xie Liu?” Lin Yang’s eyes reddened, his flickering saber clearly on its last legs. A couple more clashes and it would shatter. Only Gong Hou’s antimatter axe could stand up to the purple-haired woman’s blade.

Lin Yang took a deep breath, watching Gong Hou and Wendy locked in combat. Wendy seemed to have spotted Gong Hou’s lack of agility, making defeat only a matter of time. Xu Xiong circled the fight, but his attacks were too weak to make a difference. “This woman’s almost on par with an S-rank Special Forces operative!”

Gritting his teeth, Lin Yang found his left arm numb and unresponsive—the frequency shock from Wendy’s blade had left it paralyzed. He looked down at the dying saber in his right hand, little more than a stump. He let out a bitter laugh. “Xie Liu, you bastard, weren’t you supposed to have everything planned out? How did you end up in this mess? Where’s your plan now?” He looked helplessly at Wendy. “Against someone like this, what plan could work?” He laughed with despair; their strengths weren’t even comparable.

Sensing Lin Yang’s despair, Ye Ling behind the wall looked up. Through Li Shizhu, she felt Lin Yang’s hopelessness. She clutched Xie Liu’s guitar case tighter, then nodded to herself. “Even if I’m not much help, I can still fight!” She unzipped the case, only to stare blankly at the disassembled sniper rifle inside. “Uh… how do I even use this?”

...

Meanwhile, Gong Hou had been dueling Wendy for over five minutes. But it was less a fight and more a one-sided beating. Gong Hou was relying entirely on the durability of his antimatter armor to withstand Wendy’s attacks. Even so, the high-frequency strikes from her lightsaber rattled his insides with pain. If not for Xu Xiong’s constant harassment, Gong Hou would have lost already.

But as things stood, his defeat was only a matter of time. Wendy was faster than Lin Yang, nearly as strong as Gong Hou, and her reflexes were even sharper than Xie Liu’s—a true monster!

She was beyond the bounds of ordinary humanity.

Lin Yang stepped forward, the numbness in his left arm spreading through his body. “Is it really hopeless?” He staggered, almost collapsing. Rage and despair flooded his heart. “Is it really over?”

“Enough whining. Get up. And you, Strongman, you big lug—get to the woods if you don’t want to die!” A voice rang suddenly in his head, startling everyone.

“Xie Liu?”

...

Ye Ling was still staring helplessly at the scattered sniper rifle when a pale hand snatched the guitar case from her grasp. She gasped and looked up, almost crying out before the newcomer clapped a hand over her mouth and pressed her against the wall.

“Shh!” Xie Liu gestured for silence. Ye Ling blinked, then nodded. Xie Liu finally let go. “Looks like they’re having a rough time out there.” Ye Ling gazed in a daze at his slightly shifty back, feeling an odd sense of calm. Watching his silhouette, she realized her eyes were growing moist.

He swiftly assembled the sniper rifle. “I’ve figured it out—she’s a level-eight esper, just like me. She’s a physical mutant, though, and their power levels are calculated differently from normal espers.” Xie Liu fished a lollipop from the guitar case, sticking it in his mouth. “She’s tough, but not unbeatable.”

“Where did you go?” Ye Ling whispered. Xie Liu leaned against the wall, chuckling awkwardly. “Had to lose the enemy’s surveillance. Took some time.”

Somewhere far away, a white-haired girl covered her face, dreamy-eyed, mumbling: “When he comes back, I’ll marry him. I will, I will. Hee hee, haha…”

...

Xie Liu coughed quietly. “Anyway, we still have a chance.” He picked up the sniper rifle and darted toward the edge of the woods. In his mind, Lin Yang’s despair echoed. He scoffed, “Stop whining. Get up, Strongman, you lump—run for the woods unless you want to die!”

Seeing his teammates’ dazed expressions, Xie Liu almost wanted to smack them. Thankfully, after a moment, Gong Hou roared, knocking Wendy aside and sprinted for the trees. Wendy sneered, “Running already? But I’m not done playing!” She leapt after him, but just then a gunshot rang out from the village. Wendy hesitated, spinning to deflect the incoming bullet with her sword. “Still another one hiding? Well, I…”

She never finished. Just as she turned, a silver flash whistled past her cheek, leaving a thin line of blood.

“You!” Wendy stared in shock at Xie Liu, who stood up from the ruins at her side. “Why are you here? Where’s Angela?”

“Don’t worry, she’s fine,” Xie Liu said, scratching his chin. “Though things might get complicated later.”

Wendy wiped her cheek. “You fired from the front, but the dart came from the side—must’ve used the spatial esper.” She eyed Lin Yang, who now stood beside Xie Liu, exhausted.

Xie Liu shook his head. “That wouldn’t have been enough. Your reflexes are too fast—even if I threw the dart from here, I’d never hit you. So, I had Strongman run into the woods, to draw your attention, then fired from the village. When you turned, the dart came from this side.”

“But even so, your dart shouldn’t have reached me so quickly. Even with teleportation, I should have dodged it. I was watching you, the whole time. I saw you move this way. How could you have attacked so fast?”

“Who said I threw the dart after firing?” Xie Liu smirked. From the previous firing spot, Ye Ling stood and waved. Wendy blinked. “She fired the gun? Impossible—she can’t even fight.”

“True. But don’t forget, we have a telepath. I controlled her body with my mind, fired the shot, and threw the dart simultaneously. With the grove between us, and your attention on the bullet, you didn’t dodge the dart. Still, you’re truly the strongest below level ten—almost managed to avoid it anyway.”

Wendy laughed. “You’re all insane. Sharing minds, giving up control of your own body—you really trust each other that much? Or are you all just lunatics?”

“As you said—we’re all madmen.” Xie Liu replied coldly. Wendy’s knees buckled, and she half-knelt on the ground. “Should’ve killed you when I had the chance. So you know—I’m a physical mutant.”

“Yes. That’s why I used a dart laced with ‘Inhibitor Toxin.’ Don’t worry, it’s a small dose—no danger, but your powers will be sealed for half an hour.”

He walked over, tapped Wendy’s head, and took her Violet Star sword, tossing it to Lin Yang. Then he propped Wendy against a tree. “Thanks for sparing me—I’ll return the favor. But I’ll be taking your sword.” He grinned mysteriously. Wendy glared coldly at him.

“Let’s go,” Xie Liu said, hoisting the still-paralyzed Lin Yang. “There’s a big boss coming next—one we really can’t handle. Time to pack up and run!”

“Move!” Xie Liu shouted. The team scrambled, grabbed their weapons, and vanished. Wendy stared after them, helplessly smiling. “What kind of people are they?”

...

Time slipped by. Wendy sat dazed on the ground. After half an hour, she suddenly opened her eyes, stood, and looked toward where Xie Liu and the others had disappeared. She laughed coldly. “Very good. I’m more and more interested in you all.”

“What’s the matter, Wendy—got bullied?” came Franny’s voice from the woods behind. Wendy shot her a look. “Sister, when I’m beaten this badly, you still mock me? If you were here, they wouldn’t dare act so cocky.”

Franny shook her head with a smile. “A team from the Special Forces arrived—I chased them off, sorry for being late. But don’t worry—they won’t get far.” Wendy laughed. “Yes, they won’t. When I catch that bastard again, I’ll give him a real lesson!” Franny only shook her head, gazing ahead. “We need to hurry—there are only two days left.” Her smile faded as she spoke. Wendy lowered her head at the words.

“Yes… only two days left.”