Chapter Ninety-Two: Heartless Mockery

After Xie Liu and Ye Ling leaped into the pool, ripples spread across the water’s surface, gradually settling into stillness. Time passed before their heads appeared, peeking out from behind a stone pillar beneath the observation deck.

“What are you doing, Xie Liu?” Ye Ling asked, a trace of anger in her voice—anyone would be upset at being dragged into the water without warning. Xie Liu made a quick gesture for silence, and Ye Ling, no fool, immediately closed her mouth. The two pressed themselves against the back of the stone pillar, the icy water biting into their nerves, but they dared not make a sound, holding their breaths in the tense quiet.

Their caution was soon justified. Not long after, shouts echoed from the racecourse: “There are parachutes here—someone arrived before us!” Their hidden parachutes had been discovered.

Ye Ling now understood Xie Liu’s intentions. He had anticipated this all along—if they tried to flee outright, the enemy’s jeeps would easily overtake them. Hiding was their only hope.

Guessing Xie Liu's plan, Ye Ling let out a small, self-satisfied chuckle. Xie Liu noticed her expression but said nothing. They waited in silence until, minutes later, a woman’s voice called out, “Look, there are footprints here.”

The other three immediately rushed over. Upon seeing the footprints Xie Liu and Ye Ling had left on the grass by the pond, they tensed, as if facing a dire threat.

“They headed toward the woods,” Wolf Fang said after examining the tracks. All three then looked at Albatross, who closed his eyes to sense their surroundings. “Yes, their presence is nearby.” With this confirmation, the group grew wary.

“Should we follow them?” Parrot asked, and all eyes turned to their captain.

The captain of the Gale Squad, codenamed Falcon, furrowed his brow in thought. Originally, their six-member team had planned to parachute down together, but at the critical moment, two were swept away by a gust of wind—Monkey, their psychic and strategist, and Rattlesnake, their sniper.

Pursue or not? Falcon was indeed the captain, but strategic thinking wasn’t his strength. The two brains of the team had been blown away, leaving him with two muscle-bound, simple-minded men and a woman. Wait—a woman. He might as well ask her. Falcon turned, “Parrot, what do you think?”

Parrot considered for a moment, then spoke. “If there are only two of them, I think we can pursue safely. They must have seen our jeep, yet chose to run instead of attack. This suggests they aren’t combat specialists. It’s best if we capture them—maybe coerce them into helping us. If not, we eliminate them.”

Falcon nodded, hefting his automatic rifle. “Let’s follow and see. Stay alert and keep hidden. I’ll lead, you two protect Parrot.”

Falcon’s abilities matched his squad’s name: Gale. A level-nine powerhouse, he could shroud himself in a barrier of wind, once using it to withstand concentrated fire from over a hundred Special Alliance soldiers. The burly man’s power was to control silicate materials—in simpler terms, he could shape stone. Albatross wielded “Signal Pulse,” allowing him to emit unique pulses to scan the area, and, when compressed, these pulses could attack enemies. Parrot’s ability was healing—not strong, but useful, which was why Falcon brought her along.

The four formed up and advanced slowly into the woods. Meanwhile, behind the pillar, Xie Liu and Ye Ling moved cautiously, keeping the stone between themselves and their pursuers’ line of sight. Only when the group had disappeared into the forest did Xie Liu tug Ye Ling’s sleeve. “Let’s go to the jeep.”

“Huh?” Ye Ling was bewildered, hoping to keep hiding, but Xie Liu flicked her forehead, leaving a red mark. “What are you ‘huh’-ing for? Move!” He pulled Ye Ling along the pond’s edge until they reached the racecourse. Xie Liu anxiously glanced back at the four entering the woods—no sign of them. He dragged Ye Ling toward the jeep.

Suddenly, shouts erupted from behind. Xie Liu knew they’d been spotted. The four burst out of the woods, and even from hundreds of meters away, Xie Liu could feel gusts whipping toward them, nearly knocking him off his feet.

“They’re strong!” Xie Liu guessed the man’s power. Ignoring their soaked clothes, the two jumped into the jeep. Xie Liu started it expertly, floored the accelerator, and with a thunderous roar, the jeep shot off, reaching its top speed in seconds as they raced off-road into the wilds.

“Wow!” Ye Ling cried with delight from the passenger seat, glancing back at the receding racecourse and the furious quartet. She stuck her tongue out at them, but the next moment, gunshots rang out—bullets riddled the back seat, making her duck in fright. But it seemed their pursuers were out of options; Ye Ling laughed in exhilaration. “This is so thrilling!”

“The real thrill is yet to come,” Xie Liu sneered.

“What do you mean?” Ye Ling’s smile faltered.

“Look behind us.”

She peeked again and shrieked, “Xie Liu, faster! There’s a tornado behind us!”

“I see it!” Xie Liu shouted. “Hold on!” He jerked the wheel, sending the jeep skidding and spinning onto the road ahead. Ye Ling nearly flew out but managed to grab the seat.

At that moment, Xie Liu saw that the sky to the side had gone dark, as if storm clouds were pressed against the very earth, and from the heart of the clouds, four tornadoes snaked downward, growing closer. The entire racecourse was torn apart, shredded by the fury of the wind.

“This is bad—hold tight, I’m speeding up!” He slammed the pedal. The jeep roared, tearing across the wilds. Falcon, now furious at being toyed with, unleashed his full power, stirring the air for kilometers around. Tornadoes howled, rolling toward Xie Liu’s vehicle.

Ye Ling screamed, clutching her head as Xie Liu dodged tornado after tornado. The jeep tumbled like a paper plane in a gale, and at any moment, it might be swept away.

“We can’t keep this up! Ye Ling, are you ready?” Xie Liu yelled.

“Ready for what?” Ye Ling clung to the seat.

“Kick the door and jump!”

With a powerful kick, Xie Liu slammed open the door, wrenched the wheel, and sent the jeep spinning ninety degrees. In the midst of Ye Ling’s scream, he grabbed her, and they were flung from the car, splashing into a small river ahead.

The out-of-control jeep was snatched by a tornado and hurled into the sky, swallowed in seconds by the immense storm clouds above.

Falcon lowered his hand, catching his breath. “Are they finished?” He watched the burning wreckage plummet from the sky, then looked to Albatross. The others turned to the refined-looking man. Albatross closed his eyes and scanned. “No, their energy signature remains.”

“Damn it!” Falcon cursed. “Let’s check it out.” He whirled and slashed his hand through the air; a gust exploded behind him, forcing him back a step. “An air arrow?” He was stunned, but before he could react, Parrot screamed. Falcon turned in shock—though he’d shattered the air arrow, some had pierced his defenses and struck Albatross.

“Damn, was he the target?” Falcon swore as he saw Albatross collapse, his chest ruptured, not with blood, but with white, glue-like matter.

“How is he?”

“He’ll live. Parrot can’t make sense of his physiology, so we can’t heal him right now. He’s out of commission,” Tiger Roar replied, shaking his head.

Falcon cursed again. “They targeted Albatross?” Parrot and Tiger Roar shook their heads.

Falcon looked up and saw, far off on the plain, Xie Liu’s silhouette. He slowly lowered his air bow, eyes glowing crimson, which returned to normal as he let down the weapon. His right hand trembled; drawing that bow was still almost too much for him—perhaps only Gong Hou could use it fully. Still, for now, his goal was accomplished.

Xie Liu had long suspected the opposing team had a tracker among them, though he wasn’t sure who. When he’d hidden in the water, he noticed the others glancing at the short man, who closed his eyes in concentration—likely a psychic or a sensor. Xie Liu decided instantly and fired an arrow at him, taking him out in one shot. Watching their panicked response, Xie Liu sneered, shouldered his bow, and turned to leave. When he saw their captain looking his way, Xie Liu paused, then flipped him off.

...

After being thrown into the river, Ye Ling swallowed several mouthfuls of water. Dizzy, she crawled ashore—just as Xie Liu hurried down the bank, grabbing her and shouting, “Run! We’ve overdone it this time!”