Chapter 64: First Fortress 16

An He caught a glimpse from the corner of her eye of Min He’s dog, and the Saint Lord standing behind Min He. Wen Yewang wasn’t there—Gu Xianqing had said that one basically never stepped out of Babel Tower.

An He quickly withdrew her gaze and focused on the enemies ahead.

She hadn’t actually left the fortress at all. She’d only rushed to the wall with Tina amid the chaos, creating the illusion that they’d just returned from the Wasteland. The person who’d driven the vehicle earlier was the long-unseen Lady Heli, and the one in red riding the motorcycle was Grandma Yan Qiong, whom she’d met once before.

The two had accomplished their mission of muddying the waters, staging a massive assault to create confusion. Now, they’d hidden themselves amid the chaos.

Gu Xianqing really did have her “New Oasis” crew, and they were all desperadoes.

An He didn’t know Yan Qiong’s background. Before showing herself, she’d hidden in a corner and observed for a bit. She’d noticed that both Yan Qiong and Gu Xianqing could somehow draw the Bone Eaters, who didn’t treat them as enemies—more like… kin.

That was why Yan Qiong needed a gun to provoke the Bone Eaters.

No one had expected the Bone Eaters around First Fortress to outnumber their imaginations by so much. When An He patrolled Ninth Fortress, she’d occasionally spot three or five gathering nearby, but the ones prowling around First Fortress numbered over a dozen!

She didn’t know if the Shell Membrane failure in District 21 had drawn them here, but these ever-evolving creatures had started playing the long game.

An He looked up, staring death at the monster charging straight toward her.

Though these things were part of her plan, she still had to eliminate and drive them off for real.

She had two prior successes killing Bone Eaters, so she knew just how formidable they were.

Normally, only a powerful Nestsoul like Ide could take one down solo. Most Thorn Lamp members opted to team up.

Right now, An He had no one to team up with. She couldn’t use white phosphorus weapons like before, nor draw her military blade forged with Ninth Fortress craftsmanship. She only had the Holy Sword.

And then… there was herself.

An He’s eyes hardened. She’d survived countless life-or-death scrapes relying solely on her own abilities. This was just another chance to hone her edge!

The airborne Raven flock plunged into the Bone Eater’s gaps, pecking relentlessly at the mycelium with unstoppable momentum. An He gripped the Holy Sword in a reverse hold with one hand while supporting Tina’s shoulder with the other. Only in the second before the Bone Eater reached her did she spring into action.

She employed the same combat technique—closing in dangerously for a point-blank kill!

The long-absent battle fervor flooded An He’s every vein in an instant. The immense power surging at death’s door extended her Shatterblade Time several times longer than before.

An He recalled how clumsy and sluggish her Innate Talent and Nestsoul had felt the last time she’d killed a Bone Eater. Now, the Nestsoul had truly fused with her, responding to her command effortlessly, and her Parasite Talent flowed just as naturally.

She could even carry a “burden”!

The mycelium on the Bone Eater dwindled under the Ravens’ onslaught. Some Ravens even teamed up in pairs or trios to dismantle loose parts of its Skeleton Frame.

An He poured everything into displaying her prowess. The Raven numbers had doubled from before. In the blink of an eye, this truck-sized Bone Eater had lost a third of itself.

An He quickly located the mycelium core. For this Bone Eater, it was atop her head, on the underside of its dome-like Skeleton Frame, where a humerus bone laced with flesh strands served as the mycelium nexus. And now, sensing the threat, the mycelium was concealing itself.

An He swiftly pressed Tina to stand still, then vaulted onto her shoulders with a push. Not even steady yet, she gripped her longsword and leaped skyward. Her honed core explosive power launched her like a coiled spring at its peak, limbs splaying before she slashed down!

The Holy Sword outlonged her military blade. Its tip sheared straight into the humerus, the razor edge cleaving the bone in two—but it wasn’t enough. Suspended in Shatterblade Time, An He became airborne, her swings excising the entire bone block. It crashed to the ground.

Deprived of its nexus, the mycelium lost cohesion. The entire Bone Eater collapsed like a dilapidated house in a torrent of ruin. Countless white bones and hides hung suspended first, then plummeted the instant Shatterblade Time ended!

Amid the bone pile, An He still supported Tina.

The sunset sank slowly behind her.

In that moment, the sky-shattering cannon fire stuttered to a halt. Everyone present was drawn to this stranger—it was impossible not to be. She moved like a death god wandering time and space, ushering a dirge for the mycelium at dusk with her Ravens in tow.

It was like a magic show.

A man-made miracle!

A Bone Eater disintegrating in half a minute shattered all cognition. This incomprehensible combat prowess inexplicably rallied the Heroic Spirits Society soldiers. A frontline gunner roared and leaped from the wall, charging the Bone Eaters to hold the line unbreached.

Min He snapped to in an instant, leading the charge by jumping from the armored vehicle into the fray.

While others drew inspiration, the sprinting Min He keenly sensed the crisis. A heaven-sent powerhouse tied to Tina had appeared right before the Saint Lord.

Min He noticed the Saint Lord’s gaze never wavered.

As An He turned, she swept another glance at Min He and the Saint Lord. For some reason, Min He didn’t close in on her, opting for another battlefield instead. Their two fight zones flanked left and right, encircled by Bone Eaters.

Perfect, An He thought. She hadn’t wanted Min He approaching anyway.

The “performance” wasn’t over. Another Bone Eater barreled this way. An He brushed past it, dodging the strike. But in that grazing contact, she pressed quickly on its Skeleton Frame.

Her Parasite Talent activated silently.

The similarly hued mycelium strands intertwined. The Bone Eater charged ferociously a dozen meters, its insectile legs kicking up yellow sand into a mini dust storm.

This time, An He drew a gun for a ranged assault as the Bone Eater wheeled back.

The gun bore exquisite engravings, loaded with two explosive bullets. An He chambered a round in an unorthodox one-handed grip, targeting her mark.

Under Asta’s devilish training, she’d become proficient with firearms—On this Wasteland, An He thought incongruously, I miss Asta. I miss Ide, the best at sighting prey. I’ve only been gone from Ninth Fortress three days, but it feels like forever.

In tribute, An He pulled the trigger with a master’s poise.

Far off, the Ravens had cleared excess mycelium. The spinning bullet whirled from the barrel with a whoosh, seemingly off-angle but precisely calculated.

And the Bone Eater remained under her control.

Boom—

In mere seconds, the involuntarily accelerating Bone Eater slammed right into the bullet.

A spectacular ranged kill capped with a single shot!

No one had achieved such a feat: two Bone Eaters downed in ten minutes, flawless in close and ranged combat. Everyone was stunned.

Only An He knew how much painstaking effort hid behind her effortless kills. Every risk was dancing on a knife’s edge. But that didn’t matter—what mattered was she’d drawn all eyes, letting everyone overlook the rear.

In the rear, Gu Xianqing—back in her red garb—slipped ghostlike through the Shell Membrane breach.

No one spotted her. Except An He.

An He pulled up a gray burlap cloth to mask her mouth and nose, then hustled Tina toward the Saint Lord.

This time, someone even reached out to help her aboard.

An He soon stood at the armored vehicle’s front. At last, she met Sekhmet up close. This ruler cut even sharper than in the videos. Intrigued by An He, her tiger-leopard eyes snapped open, high cheekbones and steady shoulders forming a scrutinizing stance—shrewd and perilous.

An He concealed all aggression, lifting her head.

“A person named… Lola… told me to bring her to you.” An He’s voice dragged slow, unnaturally halting, dull, emotionless—repeating lines rehearsed with Gu Xianqing.

Some trigger-happy soldiers raised guns at her, but An He stared fixed at Sekhmet, ignoring the weapons, making no defensive move.

This naive response made everyone think the one standing here wasn’t the same who’d just slain two Bone Eaters.

“Lola—where is she?” Sekhmet asked flatly.

“We were attacked… in the Wasteland. We got separated. She’s probably dead.” An He said no more. She didn’t know Sekhmet’s abilities, and now wasn’t the time for details. Less was better.

Sekhmet would naturally probe further.

But mid-conversation, someone in the crowd cried out in terror: “Gu Xianqing! Over there!”

The Bone Eater threat lingered unresolved, and now this saboteur appeared. The crowd saw Gu Xianqing vault onto a Bone Eater’s Skeleton Frame in two bounds, gripping a whalebone-like rib with one hand, waving tauntingly.

Her wild ponytail and ribbons fluttered in the wind, her undisguised grin brimming with madness—more eye-catching than An He’s entrance.

Min He, tangled with a distant Bone Eater, needed only a second to pivot and charge toward Gu Xianqing.

She had to capture Gu Xianqing alive to report back!

An He followed the crowd’s gaze to Gu Xianqing, her expression visibly shifting. She turned, propped Tina against the armored vehicle, gripped the Holy Sword, and strode outward.

This subtle change didn’t escape Sekhmet. The Saint Lord asked curiously, “You know her?”

“I think… I’ve seen her,” An He answered blankly. “When I opened my eyes… in the crate. She dumped me… in the Wasteland.”

Sekhmet’s brow furrowed ever so slightly. She pondered briefly, then pointed at Gu Xianqing. “She’s very dangerous. My enemy. Can you do me a favor?”

An He caught the subtle coaxing and probing in Sekhmet’s tone.

“What?” An He blinked.

“Catch her,” Sekhmet said. “Or kill her.”

Eagerness sparked in An He’s eyes.

Fight Gu Xianqing? Hell yes! Right up her alley!

She’d make everyone here see: on this land, only she could match Gu Xianqing—this demon plaguing First Fortress with dread. Her loyal rival, shoulder-to-shoulder comrade, intimate nightmare of mutual exploitation.

An He didn’t hesitate. She dropped Tina and charged toward Gu Xianqing racing across the sands.

At that moment, Sekhmet concluded: this discarded mystery guest seemed to genuinely hate Gu Xianqing.

Boosted by her Innate Talent, An He overtook Min He, catching up to Gu Xianqing. She clambered recklessly onto the Bone Eater’s Skeleton Frame. The two stood atop the two-story-high monster, locking eyes.

Others dared not even approach this beast, yet these two danced upon it.

The enraged Bone Eater bolted wildly, instantly widening the gap from pursuers. The unsteady jolts rocked underfoot; An He simply sheathed the Holy Sword in her back scabbard, striding across the frame as if on flat ground toward the other side.

Gu Xianqing smiled at her, beckoning provocatively.

In the instant before contact, An He leaped like a feral beast, grappling in a fighter’s lock to strangle her target.

Gu Xianqing said it before, An He thought. My combat experience is thin, grappling weak.

Not anymore.

An He’s right toes kicked off the frame. Mid-soar, she gripped Gu Xianqing’s shoulders, swinging her raised left leg over Gu Xianqing’s head. Then her rear leg lifted, forming a deadly scissor lock.

In half a second, An He dangled inverted from Gu Xianqing’s waist, using leg strength and core to flip her. Their clothes pressed tight, but the intent to dominate surged palpably between them. In the next half-second, balance lost, they plummeted together.

Whistling wind briefly whipped past An He’s ears. The cannon-pocked ground rushed close. Even in this split-second fall, An He seized the chance, reaching back for the Holy Sword.

Clack— Gu Xianqing anticipated, clamping the scabbard with pinpoint precision, snapping the sword back home.

The two finally twisted mid-air and landed on their sides, each absorbing half of the crashing impact. The moment they hit the ground, Gu Xianqing leaned close to An He’s ear and whispered teasingly, “Not bad at all, little lamb.”

An He felt her shoulder grind painfully against the gravel. Then came a strange tingling numbness, like an electric current spreading from her ear throughout her body.

An He rolled to her feet, shrugged her shoulder to rub her ear, then reached for the gun at her waist. But Gu Xianqing lunged in again, spinning to kick the gun from An He’s hand.

The pistol, with only one bullet left, clattered to the ground far away, uncontrolled by anyone.

An He drew her sword next, but Gu Xianqing swiftly dodged the attack and—uncharacteristically—closed in for hand-to-hand combat. Gu Xianqing carried no weapons, so she reached out to seize An He’s.

In a flurry of flesh-smashing blows, the Holy Sword flew from An He’s grip. Gu Xianqing kicked it into the air, its sharp blade tearing through the atmosphere with a fierce glint. The sword spun several times before embedding precisely one inch from the toes of Min He, who was rushing into the fray.

Clang—

Now, neither had a weapon left.

The external support fire—several bullets—missed Gu Xianqing entirely. She exploited the Bone Eater’s blind spots to evade the aid, locked in a deathmatch solely with An He.

The wounded Bone Eater flew into a rage, forcing Min He back to the edge of the Shell Membrane.

In the distance, the now-unarmed pair dove into true close-quarters brawling.

In the split second as Gu Xianqing lunged with a punch, An He blinked and whispered, “Just putting on a show.”

So Gu Xianqing’s fist hung in the air for a second.

But a sly glint flashed in An He’s eyes. She seized the moment, wrapping her arm around Gu Xianqing’s waist and flipping her to the ground. An He swiftly pinned Gu Xianqing’s midsection, grabbed her collar, and used the power of her leg muscles to tighten the hold bit by bit. Each breath brought mounting pressure, as if she meant to completely subdue her opponent.

An He’s gaze was dark as still water, but beneath her calm facade boiled a tidal surge of hot blood. She had to admit it—she was starting to relish this exhilarating clash with Gu Xianqing. The adrenaline rush made her crave total victory.

Then An He raised her hand and slapped across Gu Xianqing’s face.

A five-finger mark branded her cheek, vivid as a hickey.

An He nearly burst out laughing. She was finally, truly back!

And by any means necessary.

Gu Xianqing froze in stunned shock.

A moment later, her eyes turned ice-cold.

“Just putting on a show?” she hissed through gritted teeth. Without hesitation, she reversed the grip on An He’s collar and headbutted her with the fiercest killing intent she’d ever unleashed.

Their foreheads collided—a pain sharper than any blunt strike. Icy murderous rage swept the Wasteland in an instant, the two tangling like bitter enemies with a blood feud.

The last rays of sunset draped their figures, turning fiery red even redder and deep black even blacker—like intertwining char and flame, a sight that shook the soul.

“What the hell are they doing?” Min He stood atop a broken wall, fending off the Bone Eater while keeping a constant eye on the distant fight.

The question had no specific target—it was just Min He’s reflexive outburst of shock.

Sekhmet, nearby and no spring chicken as the Saint Lord, overheard it. For the first time, bewilderment lingered in her eyes, refusing to fade.

“I have no idea,” the Saint Lord said strangely. “But I truly never imagined anyone in this world could slap Gu Xianqing across the face.”