Chapter 63: First Fortress 15 Part 1

The Dyed-Hair Lady noticed Vivian’s movement. “Where do you think you’re going?”

Before Vivian could answer, twenty or so people armed with knives and clubs burst into the territory. Every one of them had murder in their eyes, their bodies decked out in filthy decorations and scars of varying degrees, making them look utterly barbaric.

Vivian’s situation turned dangerous in an instant. She’d broken away from the group and stood at the forefront, while the rest of the Scavengers shot to their feet, glaring viciously at the intruders.

“What the hell do you want!” someone bellowed, setting the stage for the vicious brawl to come.

An He stood in the shadows of the stairwell, watching as both sides fell into a tense standoff. She didn’t intervene right away, choosing instead to observe.

Among the newcomers was a person clutching her severed arm—the same robber who’d clashed with Vivian earlier.

Had a gang backing her, and a sizable one at that. An He spotted someone with a gun; a short-sleeved guy at the rear hefted a crude but devastating short-barreled cannon.

This was a real fight, steel against steel.

And the odds were lopsided—from what An He could see, the Scavengers had no proper weapons. They snatched steel pipes from the junk piles, eyes locked on the enemy as they slowly closed in, gradually converging toward Vivian.

It wasn’t like An He had imagined. She’d pictured street fights as chaotic, all-out melees with no holds barred.

In reality, neither side made a reckless move. There were no streams of profanity, no hot-headed displays of rage—just cold calculation. The two leaders locked eyes, a burst of that feminine precision in predatory intent flashing between them, like two packs of hyenas on the savanna vying for dominance.

No need for explanations; both sides knew the cause and the goal—intimidation, annexation of territory. The Scavengers dropped their usual tantrums from dealing with officers; against enemies from the same lowly origins, they opted for direct confrontation.

“It’s her.” The injured robber pointed at Vivian, and the gang’s big sis boss zeroed in on the dazed little girl. In an instant, every weapon on their side trained on the child.

“Either work for me, or I’ll take your arm too.” The gang leader offered only two choices. Her hair was tied up in a bun, a cleaver gripped in her hand—she was fierce and burly, uncaring if striking a kid made her selfish, vicious, or utterly immoral.

On this land, kids were the purest vessels of malice. The merciful had died long ago.

An He’s fingers twitched, clenching into a fist.

She was finally witnessing the true face of First Fortress’s underclass. These people carried a savage, primal predatory instinct, righteously selfish to the core.

They were never expected to be meek or kind—only to bare their sharpest edges in pursuit of their extreme, unreasonable desires.

An He was shaken by this dark gray facet of humanity.

Gu Xianqing pulled her hat brim lower to hide her expression. Lola, meanwhile, watched it all with practiced indifference—she’d been through such intimidation herself, as had every local here. It forged their ferocity and inferior cold-bloodedness.

Without warning, the fight erupted.

An iron bar swung toward Vivian’s elbow. She stood frozen, neither resisting nor fleeing.

But she wasn’t hurt. Someone yanked her collar, pulling her clear of the strike.

It was the young Scavenger who’d cursed her out earlier.

The young woman exploded in fury again. “Look what you’ve gone and done now!”

Still fuming, she sharply berated her own, but her grip on Vivian’s collar didn’t loosen. She dragged Vivian behind her for cover and lunged forward, swinging her steel pipe in a ferocious arc that forced back the front line of enemies.

Eyes blazing, teeth bared, she didn’t care how grotesque and brutal her face looked.

An He’s gaze shifted to the nameless young woman, a familiar pang washing over her once more.

She realized that no matter how much infighting or sharp words flew within a group, when an enemy got bold and threatened the team’s safety, those on the same side never turned blades inward.

They knew friend from foe, even if they hated their ally’s antics.

It was true in Ninth Fortress, and here in First Fortress too.

A common enemy bred unity—humans were wired that way.

Common enemy… huh? Several thoughts raced through An He’s mind.

She glimpsed the gang member at the rear hoisting the homemade cannon, barrel aimed at the Scavenger crowd. Even a graze from that blast would shred them with shrapnel.

The instant the shell fired, An He unleashed herself, darting out like a startled crow!

She scooped up Vivian and the young woman one in each hand, yanking them clear in a blur. The shot veered off—Shatterblade Time ended—and the cannon exploded against the pillar behind them, crumbling another weathered load-bearing column.

Boom—

The expected casualties didn’t materialize. An He’s sudden appearance left both sides stunned.

“Who the hell are you?” No one had even caught her movements.

An He’s face was utterly unfamiliar. She wore an ill-fitting purple short wig, thick bangs draped like a curtain over her lashes, exposing only one eye. In a cold voice, she replied, “I’m someone you can’t afford to mess with.”

“Crazy bitch,” someone from the gang muttered.

An He scanned the gang; a few gunmen shifted their aim toward her. But she’d confirmed it while watching—no second Embedded Spirit Body here besides Vivian.

Good. Time to clear house.

No one saw her move—she seemed rooted in place—but in a flash, the guns were in her hands. She shoved them into Vivian and the young woman’s grips. “Hold these tight.”

They were modified machine guns, heavy for their frames. The two trembled from nerves before clutching the stocks firmly.

The rival gang tasted what it was like to lose gear. Their leader charged with her crew.

Just as they banked on numbers, Lola emerged from the shadows, backing An He in a left-right empty-hand brawl.

Both were professionally trained soldiers, bloodied many times over. They didn’t even need weapons; a few moves exposed the gap between them and the rabble.

An He dropped several foes. Finally, she raised her elbow, fist pressed against a gang member’s eyeball—one more centimeter, and it was gone. Her speed and instant menace ratcheted tension for everyone present.

A low gasp rose from the Scavengers; they tensed, ready to pile in.

An He grabbed his collar, fist hovering without striking. She’d planned to stop there, but she caught the feral glint in his eye. Then he snapped a knee toward her gut.

She changed her mind. The fist slammed down without mercy, smashing his brow ridge. Knuckles scraped bone, flaying skin that swelled red, then purple. His glare faded from vicious to agonized retreat.

So that’s how it is.

This crew had taught An He a lesson. Staring into his eyes, she realized that in First Fortress, the best way to beat them was their way—make them submit through acknowledged strength.

No reason, just power.

Luckily, she had plenty.

An He brutally pummeled their two burliest, then approached the gang big sis. “Talk?”

“Not with you.” The leader swallowed hard, gripping her cleaver tighter. Facing An He’s calm, murderous gaze, she sized up the odds and compromised, peering past An He’s shoulder. “If it’s talk, I deal with your big sis only.”

An He blinked in confusion.

Who? Where’s the big sis?

She sidestepped, peering through her bang-curtain to see Gu Xianqing still in the shadows, arms crossed, unmoved.

The named Gu Xianqing looked surprised too. After a beat, she tsked, black wig falling as she tugged her brim lower. “First time meeting, lemme make it clear: I don’t like being called big sis.”

“So you are the big sis.”

An He frowned, glaring at the leader. “What’re you getting at? Don’t I look like the boss? Not everyone’s in the back watching is the top dog.”

“Is that so? You strike me as someone’s pawn.” The leader sneered. “You don’t know yet, do you? While you charged in, your boss watched from back there, even cracking a smile. I’ll be blunt—I’ve seen her type. Even if you got hurt, she wouldn’t lift a finger.”

An He looked exasperated. Was this divide-and-conquer, or truth?

Gu Xianqing was exactly the type.

“You’ve got a sharp eye.” Gu Xianqing didn’t deny it. She stepped up, arm slinging casually over An He’s shoulder without glancing at the leader. “I wouldn’t help, but I’d care if you got hurt.”

“?” Complex emotions—speechless, puzzled, baffled—flickered in the leader’s eyes.

An He shrugged off the arm. Gu Xianqing didn’t mind, casually grinding her toe into the gravel. “Anyway, nothing to discuss with you.”

She pressed shoulder-to-shoulder with An He.

After a brief pause, that undeniable aura radiated from Gu Xianqing again. “One warning: these junk-pickers are my crew now. Don’t mess with ’em, don’t rob ’em, don’t step foot here again. Got it?”

Her tone wasn’t harsh, voice light as air—yet everyone, Lola included, shivered.

An He smirked inwardly. Gu Xianqing claimed no big sis title, but played the part flawlessly, nailing the lingo.

The words forced a reality check. The trio’s arrival shattered the balance; their overwhelming presence froze any moves. The leader glared resentfully at Gu Xianqing. “Least tell me your gang’s name?”

Gu Xianqing paused, silent. What gang? Report the “Wanted Felon Alliance”?

No way.

But it sparked an idea. After a thoughtful chew, her brim-shadowed lips curved faintly. She breathed two words: “Oasis.”

“Our gang’s New Oasis. Count my people behind me—we outsize you, all desperate outlaws. Don’t fuck with us. Remember that?”

Every word rang true, no lies, weighing heavy on them.

The gang backed off.

An He glanced at Gu Xianqing’s profile in astonishment.

Under the brim, those ever-shifting azure eyes parted the veil for an instant, revealing a deep-sea hellfire of genuine desire, gleaming bright.

Gu Xianqing meant it—the name was real.

…

These Scavengers really joined them.

After witnessing their skills and confirming no malice from An He, a woman in her forties stepped forward from the Scavengers. Her name was Lan Ming, the real boss here. She asked Gu Xianqing, “You’ll take us in?”

Lan Ming couldn’t confirm if An He was special like Vivian—An He hadn’t flaunted it—but their combat prowess was top-notch, lacking Lower City’s signature malice. Solid protection.

More crucially, this brawl showed Lan Ming her age catching up, skills waning; without help, they’d be homeless tonight.

Gu Xianqing averted her eyes, nodding from the corner. “Sure. Let’s go—this pillar’s about to give. We’ll relocate.”