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墨書 Inktalez
In the cave
Aibo returned to the cave just as it was getting dark. With so many guests at home, he had spent the entire day fishing by the river. Whether it was divine favor or just good luck, Aibo had also caught a weasel and several rock frogs on the riverbank. Although the combined meat from the weasel and rock frogs didn’t seem like much, it would be a nice change—after all, he had only eaten fish before.
As he reached the cave entrance, Aibo picked up a wooden stick and tried to start a fire for a while, finally managing to create a few sparks. Satisfied, he took the dimly glowing torch and walked into the cave.
Inside, it was pitch black, and the torch barely illuminated anything. For a moment, Aibo thought everyone had left. He paused and gently tapped the stone wall with the torch.
In an instant, pairs of hollow, lifeless virtual eyes at the bottom of the cave all turned to look at Aibo, startling him so much that he trembled all over.
“Welcome back.” Only the voice could be heard; no figure was visible. George's voice came from the deepest part of the cave.
Aibo set down the dead weasel and several rock frogs he had been carrying on his shoulder and placed down a dozen raw fish skewers with his left hand before sitting cross-legged on the ground.
Several Spirit Corps members quickly stood up and brought over some firewood they had collected earlier, piling it in front of Aibo. Aibo reached out to stop them but ultimately held back, his eyes showing gratitude.
“Hey, show Big Guy what you got!” one Spirit Corps member nudged another.
The nudged Spirit Corps member gave an "OK" gesture and then reached out to the pile of firewood, gently tapping it—
“Wow—”
The Spirit Corps members gasped in awe. The pile of wood immediately ignited into a brilliant blaze, flames shooting higher than a person, sparks flying out and landing in the hearts of the despairing Spirit Corps members, warming everyone.
Aibo smiled slightly as he extended his hands and gently clapped.
“He can clap!” The atmosphere among the Spirit Corps members became warm and cheerful; they were growing fonder of Aibo, their Big Guy.
George was actually sitting in the corner, quietly listening to everyone having fun with Aibo while leaning against the cold stone wall without saying a word.
“Is this what descendants of Life Crystals are like?” George sighed.
Let everyone have some joy; perhaps there wouldn’t be much time left for happiness in the future. Brother Miao’s fate was uncertain, while Virgil was becoming increasingly rampant, targeting humanity directly. George gazed at the sharp stones above him, feeling as if he were insulated from this lively atmosphere, melancholically contemplating possible futures.
Perhaps everyone was just pretending to be happy.
George smiled faintly and closed his eyes.
Miao Chengmin was quite Tsongtsong; when leading everyone there, he had considered the possibility of sacrifice and handed Chaos Crystals over to George.
Miao Chengmin did well.
At that moment, the Chaos Crystals lay quietly beside George’s legs as if they were asleep.
George slightly squinted his eyes open but saw tiny crystals drifting like dandelion seeds in front of him, flying outward.
“How beautiful…” George's hand rested on his stomach as he reached down to touch the ground.
Wait?
Where are the Chaos Crystals?
George suddenly opened his eyes wide and looked up; where the Chaos Crystals had been was now just a pile of powder. There was clearly no wind, yet the powder continued to swirl around, heading toward the cave entrance as if searching for something.
“No, no, no!”
George sat up and threw himself onto the powder, frantically using his arms to grab and gather what remained of it.
“Don’t do this, don’t do this… Please stay put…”
George pleaded softly, but the powder showed no signs of stopping. It slipped through the gaps between his fingers like a mischievous child, floating away.
"Where are you going?" George asked in terror. "You’re not... going to abandon us too, are you?"
Everyone looked up, watching as the powder from the Chaos Crystals gathered above the flames, waiting until the last grain arrived before it began to transform.
"It wants to say something," Aibo observed. Having some connection to the crystals, he could discern their meaning.
In the flickering light of the flames, they saw the powder shimmering brilliantly until it formed a human face.
"This is..."
Everyone stood up, eager to see more clearly.
The face made of powder floated and sparkled intermittently, appearing dazzling above the flames.
"Brother Miao..."
George recognized it; it was the face of the Zombie King!
"He's still alive, right?" George asked hopefully.
Upon hearing this, the Chaos Crystals seemed relieved. The powder coalesced into a mass and drifted out of the cave, heading toward the lights on the other side of the mountain.
"Brother Miao is alive?"
"Of course! The crystals formed his face; they must be going to find him!"
The Spirit Corps member next to Aibo shouted excitedly, and soon the cave erupted with cheers as the Spirit Corps directed their hopeful gazes toward the direction in which the Chaos Crystals were headed.
"Go," George crossed his arms as if making a wish. "Quickly bring back everyone’s hopes and thoughts."
In Shengfeng Village, Liu Xuan's former home stood silently, unoccupied and seemingly abandoned. However, the villagers had no intention of tearing it down or renting it out or selling it. On the contrary, they guarded this house like a sacred shrine.
Previously, when a demolition crew caused trouble in front of Liu Xuan's old house, the villagers gathered together, armed with their own hoes, sickles, shovels, and more, standing defiantly in front of bulldozers and demolition teams.
"Who dares to tear down Xuan'er’s home? We’ll fight them to the death!"
This was a rallying cry from Uncle Li that resonated throughout the crowd.
As a result, no one had managed to demolish that house; they simply cursed and walked away instead.
Yet inside that house, someone had brazenly entered in broad daylight.
"Recently, there have been numerous eyewitness reports of a large group of humanoid monsters rampaging through the forests at the edge of the city, raising clouds of dust that could cover an entire mountain... We cannot explain this phenomenon; experts are working tirelessly to analyze it. Various military forces have begun organizing interception operations at high speed, including the long-absent elite group known as the Earth Defense Force's Defenders Alliance, which has issued a maximum alert to U City... Please remain calm; the government has both the capability and confidence to resolve this uprising."
"Uprising?"
In the holographic image, Ban Sa lounged with her legs crossed, her raised finger seemingly mocking that definition.
"There’s no helping it; humans will never dare to acknowledge the disaster they are about to face," Stalker scoffed coldly.
Stalker sat on a cabinet in Liu Xuan's house, leisurely swinging her legs while rhythmically tapping her heels against the wooden floor as if playing a dirge; she tossed a dagger into the air, spinning it several times before catching it deftly by its hilt without missing once.
"Are you at Nars' shelter?" Ban Sa asked Stalker.
"That's about right," Stalker said, placing the projector on her slender thigh, which was wrapped in a black bodysuit, while continuing to watch the human news on television.
"Are you planning to take action?" Ban Sa suddenly asked Stalker.
"Me? No need. Let the humans exhaust their energy on Soulless first, then we'll strike—sparrow in the back," Stalker replied, playing with the dagger that had fallen into her hand. The dagger brushed against her hand and, like a magic trick, turned back into Stalker's palm. Without even looking at it, she toyed with it, and the spinning blade neatly slid into the sheath at her waist.
"Well... good idea," Ban Sa praised.
"Thank you for your appreciation, Emperor."
Ban Sa gently stroked his massive axe and said, "We're heading to the Sun system now, Stalker."
The corner of Stalker's mouth, hidden by her bodysuit, twitched slightly: "You've finally brought your fierce troops."
"This period of Time has truly been a hardship for you, my warrior. But before that, you have one more task."
"Please give your orders, Emperor. I am willing to serve you," Stalker said as she projected a hologram onto the ground and immediately knelt down.
Ban Sa stood up and instructed, "You know that I've always won quietly throughout my life of conquest. This time, the Vamulel people won't even realize I'm coming; I want to give them... a surprise."
Ban Sa's fingers came together and snapped; a small wave of green energy flickered from his fingertips.
"As far as I know, China’s Heavenly Eye should be the most advanced cosmic observer, right?" Ban Sa asked.
"Yes, Emperor," Stalker replied, though she actually had no idea; she just dared to pretend to understand.
Ban Sa nodded and said, "Go eliminate the controllers there and pave the way for our arrival, will you? We'll handle their cosmic detectors; you take care of what's on land."
"It would be my honor." Upon hearing that she was going to carry out an assassination mission again, Stalker's killer instincts ignited within her.
"Very well!" Ban Sa turned around and pulled out the massive battle axe embedded in the ground. "I await your good news."
The hologram disappeared, leaving only the television still broadcasting news.
"Why is Xuan'er’s TV still on?"
"There can't be anyone inside, right?"
...
"Someone's coming," Stalker whispered as she pressed herself down and listened to the footsteps getting closer.
Creak! The door opened.
Two villagers nervously peered into the dimly lit room; aside from the glowing television, there was nothing else inside.
"So scary..." one villager began to tremble.
"Don't be such a coward; I'll go turn it off."
"Don't go! If you turn it off, a ghost will appear."
"Damn it! Who taught you that? I'm going to turn it off; what can happen?"
The uncle strode forward and switched off the television. He quickly glanced around at the entrance.
Fortunately, there were no ghosts around.
"See? Nothing happened! With such a weak heart, what girl would ever like you?"
Two middle-aged men closed the door and slowly walked out.
In the shadows, the Stalker seemed to rise from the black bathwater, rubbing the dagger in his hand, suppressing the urge to kill.
"Talking big while stepping on your great-aunt's backside, you really have guts."
The Stalker snorted coldly and disappeared into the Time Portal.
In U City, the Defenders' Hovercraft had arrived above U City. Jiao An piloted the Hovercraft and, through the tempered glass window, she saw police urgently evacuating the crowd. Men were pushing to the front with essential supplies, clearing a path for their families; women were pulling the elderly along, holding children in their arms, squeezing onto transport planes and buses behind the men. Snowflakes slowly fell, adding a touch of desolation to U City.
It was supposed to be a time for reunion, yet everyone was crowded on the streets fleeing for their lives.
The sky was gray, the ground a dusty yellow, and in between were clusters of crowded, shouting, homeless refugees.
"Five more days."
Suddenly, An Xiaotian in the passenger seat spoke up.
Jiao An looked at him.
"There are only five days left until the Spring Festival," An Xiaotian said as he wiped his mouth.
Jiao An sighed deeply, gazing at the grim-faced refugees below.
"We must complete this mission before the Spring Festival," An Xiaotian ordered. "We owe them that."
"Understood!" The Celestial Warriors behind them immediately responded.
"Are you planning to video call Yang Meng?" Jiao An asked An Xiaotian.
"Let's see how it goes; if possible, I want to check on her," An Xiaotian smiled. "Her colleagues at Heavenly Eye spoil her like a pet."
"Ha, nothing for you there," Jiao An teased.
"Humph." Both An Xiaotian and Jiao An chuckled as they looked at the falling snow outside.
"Then you guys..." An Xiaotian suddenly had an idea and countered.
"What?" Jiao An looked at An Xiaotian in confusion.
"When can I eat your and Weishan's wedding candy?" An Xiaotian raised an eyebrow at Sister Jiao An.
"Go die," Jiao An cursed playfully.
"Haha... don't blush now, okay?"
Jiao An quickly turned her face away, her cheeks flushing red as her lips curled into a sweet smile, revealing a row of white teeth—this time, she no longer hid her fluttering joy.
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