Chapter 71
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Chapter 71: Song of the Gale
“Whoosh—”
Another shell whistled through the air, slamming into the wooden bridge and sending a cloud of dust billowing up from the ground. Just like before, it was aimed at the seventh coach, and with a series of deep, rumbling crashes, the battered compartment split in two, collapsing overhead and crashing heavily into the depression below.
“F**king hell, is this ever going to stop or what!” Zhou Zhi cursed, covering his head. “Do they plan to keep firing until they bring down the entire bridge?”
“Where’s the car?” Asahara Naruko asked, scanning their surroundings.
“Just above the slope, about two hundred meters away,” Zhang Zhiyuan replied. “But the thing firing those shells is up there too. Unless we take care of it, the car might not be able to escape.”
“Forget about money! If you can get beneath that weapon, I still have a chance to regain control over it,” Lesker urged hastily. “You’ve already lost one comrade, and more might follow. But if no immediate decision is made, everyone will die here…”
“Hold on, you’re really counting on us, aren’t you?” Zhang Zhiyuan interrupted him. “What about those slave laborers? Instead of worrying about us here, why don’t you lead them out of the Foggy Region?”
“After all, you’ve drawn the enemy’s full attention, making it our best chance to ensure everyone’s survival by assisting you.” Lesker seemed like a completely different person compared to before. “I’ve already instructed them to gather in two groups far from the railroad, waiting undercover. Without spirit lamps, Gaotian Mining Corporation will have a hard time to pinpoint their location immediately.”
“So instead of fleeing, they split into two teams and went into hiding?”
“Yes, some may have gotten separated, but it’s better than all being captured by the guards. In truth, if they simply tried walking back along the railroad, they definitely wouldn’t reach Glorious Fortress—according to my knowledge, Gaotian Mining Corporation has more than one armed train at their smelting factory.”
“Well, well, no wonder you’re the leader of this group,” Zhang Zhiyuan marveled. For a teenager barely in his teens to remain composed amidst such dire circumstances and even persuade adults to fight for him was truly remarkable. His courage and capabilities clearly surpassed what one would expect at his age. “So that scared act from earlier was just a front?”
Lesker scratched his head sheepishly.”Apologies… I initially couldn’t figure out who you were, so I was hesitant to trust you. But that girl identified us right away.”
“Ans now, do you know who we are?” Zhang Zhiyuan asked intentionally.
The young man shook his head honestly. “No, I still don’t know. But I’ve confirmed one thing: you aren’t bad people. In fact, you’re rare and genuinely good individuals with abilities far surpassing ordinary mercenaries. Therefore, abandon those riches and focus on fighting the enemy! Only then will you—”
“My apologies, but money is our top priority.” Zhang Zhiyuan waved his hand dismissively. “Returning every penny safely to the Glorious Fortress is our sole objective.”
Lesker stood frozen, completely taken aback by what he just heard. Seeing his perplexed expression, Zhang Zhiyuan smiled. “Don’t worry, though. We’ll fight these bastards till the end, ensuring there’s ample time for your rescue mission.”
“Look out!” Asahara Naruko warned, “They’re surrounding us!”
“Seems like they came to check on corpses, but too bad—we’re still alive.” Lesker said, setting down the severely wounded man. With a metallic click, he chambered a round in his rifle. “Wait until they’re closer before firing. As soon as they see we’re not dead, they’ll resume shelling. Once we take care of this wave, we make a break for it.”
“Wait! Miss Demon is missing!” Zhou Zhi’s voice cut through the tension. He quickly scanned the area beneath the bridge, realizing they were one person short.
“What?” The other two involuntarily tensed and turned back, only to see that the bushes were now empty.
But by then, the Gaotian Mining Corporation’s guard unit had already reached the top of the slope of the depression, leaving no time for a search.
Just minutes earlier, Luo Di had silently retreated over ten meters, before slipping unnoticed into the fog. Then she sprinted towards the locomotive, quickly reaching the site where the steam-powered carriages had crashed.
As soon as she stopped, Chaoyang stepped out from his hiding spot nearby.
“Why must you meet me at such a critical time? Can’t you just play along as a new player?”
“Give it to me,” she said, extending her hand.
Chaoyang narrowed his eyes. “What do you want?”
She shook her hand again, emphasizing the gesture without saying another word.
After observing her for a moment, Chaoyang suddenly realized what she was seeking—she wanted his wishful blood! “Do you intend to use your ability?”
“Due to the lack of information you gave, Paradise has fallen into an extremely unfavorable situation. I’m helping you turn this defeat around!” Luo Di said swiftly, “Hurry up, there won’t be any time left if we delay further!”
Uh… who could have anticipated wondrous constructs being transported on the train? But even if the mission failed, she wouldn’t suffer any losses, so why was she still so invested in it? Looking into Luo Di’s urgent gaze, a thought involuntarily emerged in Chaoyang’s mind.
She wasn’t just going through the motions. She truly didn’t want this to fail. Despite the demon’s clever manipulations, it was clear—Luo Di wanted this mission to succeed more than anyone.
Because only then would the nun’s wish will be fulfilled; only then would the imprisoned slave laborers stand a chance to escape the company’s subsequent capture.
Instead of biting his finger again, Chaoyang simply extended his right hand. Luo Di hesitated for a fraction of second before ultimately grasping his arm and sinking her teeth into his wrist.
Time appeared to freeze at that instant. When she finally lifted her head, a trace of blood clung to the corner of her pale lips.
“Alright… I’m going now.”
With those words, Luo Di spread her wings and swiftly took flight, as if fleeing, ascending into the sky within the blink of an eye.
At that moment, Zhang Zhiyuan’s squad engaged with the guard team—unexpectedly for the guards, who had intended to inspect the broken train cars. As soon as they descended into the depression, they were met with a barrage from automatic rifles! Dense gunfire kicked up plumes of dirt on the slope, leaving the exposed guards virtually like sitting ducks. In an instant, seven or eight men at the front met their end. The remaining guards, panic-stricken, turned to retreat, but climbing out of the depression was far more difficult than getting in, especially while carrying spirit lamps. It made them easy targets for Zhang Zhiyuan’s team, sparing them the trouble of hunting down their enemies.
“The enemies are hiding under the bridge!” Someone yelled.
“Bring the Rioters to the slope edge!”
The remaining enemies, unable to descend yet, shouted frantically.
Luo Di soared forward, traversing through the train wreckage and across the depression until reaching above the peculiar machine. Unbeknownst to the company personnel, an angel had appeared overhead.
The Wishful blood burned in her chest, pulsing like magma, infusing her body with immense power.
This was a scenario she had envisioned countless times before—when confronting true evil, only power could make them yield. Luo Di knew it went against the teachings of angels, but it was a lesson she had learned through hundreds of trials.
A quiet, invisible force began to gather in her hands, coalescing into a tangible, razor-sharp blade! She raised her arms high, then folded her wings and dove towards the ground.
In that instant, Luo Di transformed into a stream of light, cleaving through the fog as she hurtled like a storm towards the steel weapon!