Chapter 49: Life Key Lock

Ye Jingqiu wanted to die.

She twisted the handlebars in a desperate bid to flee, grief twisting in her heart.

She couldn’t fathom how she’d sunk to such a sorry state.

It had all gone down like this.

After watching the Captain speed off to reinforce the Base, Ye Jingqiu realized she could manipulate the motorcycle’s handlebars from a distance—well within the scope of her Word Manifestation ability. If she could control the bike, then given that the Augusta weighed a hefty 186 kilograms and could hit speeds of 300 kilometers per hour, just how devastating would it be as a battering ram against the enemy?

Ye Jingqiu was just about to gleefully test the theory when a series of heavy engine roars echoed from the distance. She assumed it was backup from the Base, but when she looked up, she saw a squad of black-clad, silver-masked figures charging toward her with menacing intent.

The enemy squad? How the hell had they tracked her here?

The Augusta was parked off in the distance, too far now for an emergency recall. Ye Jingqiu glanced at the flimsy little pistol in her hand and decisively scrapped any notion of a head-on fight. She snatched the bike’s keys and retreated to the lee of Black Stone, instantly holding her breath to minimize any sound.

At least she’d hear what these intruders wanted first.

Less than half a minute later, the engine noise cut off abruptly, replaced by the low, thudding rhythm of footsteps. Ye Jingqiu pinpointed their positions by sound and shifted her body with utmost caution.

“Are you sure it’s here?”

“Yeah, that jade piece is tiny. They say it was embedded right in this spot back then.”

“It’s been how many years? If we’re only coming for it now, it’s probably long gone.”

“The orders from above were urgent. They say only a specific Instinct can extract it, and this place is a wasteland—no one’s been here. It might still be around.”

What jade?

Ye Jingqiu rose on tiptoe to hear better. Olivia had mentioned searching for a jade artifact—was this the same thing these intruders were after?

“What if it’s not here?”

“Then we head to Kaznik… Wait! What’s that vehicle doing there?”

The sharp ring of blades drawn from sheaths and bullets chambered filled the air, a killing intent spreading in an instant. Ye Jingqiu’s heart sank—she knew they’d spotted the Augusta.

“Who’s here? Someone beat us to it?”

Ye Jingqiu thought to herself, I was sitting here boozing it up while you lot were nowhere in sight.

“Form up and search. You lot, check below.”

A deep, resonant male voice rang out—the leader of this bunch, no doubt. The area around Black Stone fell deathly silent. Ye Jingqiu pressed her ear to the rock, but she could only make out faint, scattered footsteps.

Things were getting dicey.

Ye Jingqiu licked her chapped lips and slowly rose, clutching the case of booze in her left hand. In that instant, she pushed Word Manifestation to its limit. A steady stream of long winds served as her scouts, and with Instinct heightening her senses, her hearing rivaled a cat’s—even the faintest twang of a guitar string would ring crystal clear.

The wasteland was eerily still. Gravel scraped across rough surfaces, drifting away, while the tread of combat boots whispered faintly against the sand.

They’re coming.

The intruders moved silently along the east side of Black Stone. Ye Jingqiu hugged the rock face tight, scooting westward like a gecko, always staying in their blind spot.

The Augusta was less than a hundred meters away. If she timed it right, five more steps would align her perfectly with the bike. Then she could send it roaring straight at them and hitch a ride to escape at top speed—a few seconds, and she’d be out of range.

The rustling grew louder. Four steps to go.

The intruders signaled to each other without a sound. Ye Jingqiu wiped the sweat from her palms with a gust of wind and erased her footprints.

Three steps left. She was about to shift right when a faint click echoed from overhead. Her amplified hearing made it shrill and piercing. She frowned and looked up instinctively.

A few wisps of cigarette ash drifted down. A silver-masked man was dangling a smoke from his lips.

Suddenly, he froze and looked down—

Ye Jingqiu smiled. “Friend, littering ash like that is gonna bring divine retribution.”

The man: “What the—fuck!”

The Augusta’s engine roared to life! Ye Jingqiu hurled the booze case upward. Without hesitation, she uncoiled like a cheetah, sprinting full tilt before leaping, diving, and tucking—

She grabbed the bike!

Sand and stone sprayed as the Augusta whipped into a perfect arc. But in the instant it turned, the booze case detonated with a boom. High-proof liquor erupted in flames, accompanied by screams of rage and pain.

“Explosion Command’s pretty handy too, huh.”

Clinging to the bike, Ye Jingqiu arched a brow. The beastly Augusta bellowed as it tore into the distance. The Base was in sight when a gunshot cracked, nearly deafening her.

A bullet grazed her left arm, shredding the sleeve and charring fabric. Blood poured out.

Ye Jingqiu grunted, her back instantly soaked in cold sweat. If that shot had been off by inches, it wouldn’t be her sleeve exploding—it’d be the heart pounding in her chest.

The wind howled past her ears. Her pulse thundered; the line between life and death stretched taut. Another shot rang out, followed by the growl of pursuing engines.

No choice now. Ye Jingqiu could only whip up Wind Element in a chaotic barrier behind her to throw off the bullets. These maniacs were gunning for her life right out of the gate? Weren’t they here for the jade at Black Stone? Why turn it into a high-speed chase flick the second they saw her?

I didn’t even take that damn jade!

But explanations were pointless; these intruders wouldn’t hear reason. Bullets whizzed relentlessly. Ye Jingqiu slowed and swerved sharply, trying to throw off any snipers tracking her pattern.

What kind of freaks dodge bullets like this?

Tears pricked her eyes as she eyed her clothes, reduced to tatters by stray shots. She cursed her Instinct’s limits—it was barely enough to keep her alive.

The slowed Augusta was soon overtaken by the pack behind her, but luckily, both sides played it cautious. Neither dared a full gunfight at these speeds—otherwise, one volley and she’d be roadkill.

The thirty-minute journey was cut short by more than half. Ye Jingqiu twisted the handle for a sharp turn and finally plunged into the base! The gunfire ceased almost immediately. But before she could catch her breath, it was replaced by the even more frantic roar of motorcycle engines.

“Why won’t you guys stop chasing me—”

Ye Jingqiu felt utterly cornered. The fork in the road loomed right ahead. She gritted her teeth, preparing to veer sharply, when a series of agonized screams erupted from behind her.

She glanced back—just once—and slammed on the brakes, screeching to a halt.

Shi Zui and Xie Pingzhi stood shoulder to shoulder in the middle of the avenue. The Augusta’s rune formation hummed to life, its flowing golden light spilling like a languid river. A soothing warmth enveloped them, replenishing every bit of the rampage value Ye Jingqiu had burned through with Word Manifestation. She felt as if she were luxuriating in the heart of a steaming hot spring.

The soft glow drew in ambient elements, a nectar as revitalizing to Ye Jingqiu as the finest elixirs. To the intruders, however, it might as well have been lethal venom.

Fully exposed within the supreme rune formation’s reach, their pallid skin sizzled the instant it made contact. A teeth-grating hiss filled the air as plumes of white vapor burst from their bodies. Thick, unnatural black blood gushed forth in torrents, their flesh corroding away in the span of a heartbeat.

Not even concentrated sulfuric acid could wreak such havoc!

Ye Jingqiu stared in stunned disbelief. If medieval holy water packed this kind of punch, vampires would’ve been fleeing in terror with their faces clutched long ago. Just who had crafted this so-called defensive array?

The intruders didn’t last. Soon, nothing remained but mangled corpses and pools of nauseating black ichor. Shi Zui drew her blade and crouched low, deftly peeling the mask from one fallen intruder’s face.

Every single one was the same: half beast, half human.

Shi Zui let out a sigh. Rather than rising, she repositioned the mask and gave Xie Pingzhi a nod.

“Xiao Qiu.”

With no surviving intruders in sight, Shi Zui sheathed her blade and hurried toward Ye Jingqiu. Her eyes narrowed at the bullet grazes marring her skin. Without a word, she tore a strip from her own sleeve and bound the wounds.

“Sorry,” she murmured, her voice softening instinctively as the Pixiu pendant at her chest glimmered faintly. “It was my misjudgment that got you hurt. Head to the medical room and get those treated. I…”

“Captain, why are you suddenly talking like that?” Ye Jingqiu broke out in goosebumps and cut her off, clearly thrown by this uncharacteristic gentleness. “Don’t apologize, Captain! I’m fine! Go handle your stuff—go on, shoo!”

Before Shi Zui could respond, Ye Jingqiu parked the vehicle in record time and bolted into the adjacent medical room, tossing a wave over her shoulder.

“You two get back to it! Busy yourselves! Staying busy is good!”

Shi Zui: “…”

~~~

The medical room stood empty. Ye Jingqiu unwound her sleeve and gingerly dabbed alcohol onto the wounds with a cotton swab, wincing and pausing after every touch.

Once the wounds were disinfected, she tried bandaging herself—biting the gauze between her teeth—but her novice skills couldn’t replicate the captain’s neat little bow.

Ye Jingqiu sighed, a wave of melancholy washing over her as distant gunfire echoed. When would she truly master Word Manifestation? One command from her could’ve ended those intruders right then.

Across the base, Shi Zui activated rune formations district by district. Teleportation arrays whisked startled members from their midnight slumbers straight into the fray. The battle appeared to be winding down.

Bored, Ye Jingqiu pressed her face to the window, watching the lights flicker to life in A3 District. At last, the rune formation took shape.

Golden light erupted in a flash, flooding her with an unimaginable warmth. Her mind reeled from the impact. She stared vacantly ahead, and in her daze, a voice whispered once more in her ear:

“Go retrieve what’s yours… You must retrieve what’s yours…”

“The key… Find the key…”

An excruciating pain stabbed through Ye Jingqiu’s heart, like a thousand threads coiling tighter and tighter. A bullet to the chest couldn’t have hurt worse. She clutched her left breast, her other hand clawing at the window frame in desperate struggle.

But time was up. The compulsion bore down on her relentlessly. Slowly, ever so slowly, her grip on the frame slackened.

Long moments passed. Like a marionette jerked upright by its strings, Ye Jingqiu rose from the floor. Her joints cracked as she shuffled out the door in rigid, unnatural movements—her will no longer her own.

No one noticed the faint golden sheen that now glazed her eyes, a luster that should only surface when her Instinct activated.