Free Web NovelChapter 54: Chapter 54: Mysterious Man
Yue Yue didn’t stay awake for long. The massive energy drain from purifying the S-level soil and growing the fruit had left her exhausted.
As a tiny white snake, she curled into a tight coil deep inside Han Soi’s pocket and fell into a dreamless sleep.
She didn’t feel the rhythmic jarring of Han Soi’s movements as he fought. She didn’t hear the thuds of mutated monsters being sliced apart or the low, tactical whispers of the three S-rank orcs.
When she finally blinked her gemstone eyes open, she was disoriented. She peeked through the tiny holes in the fabric and realized the sickly sky had brightened...it was morning.
She immediately felt a wave of anxiety. How long was I out? Did they find the core?
Outside, the atmosphere was suffocating. There was no talking now, only the sound of heavy breathing and the occasional whistle of a blade. She could feel the tension in Han Soi’s muscles;
"Where is the core of the polluted zone?" Tong Yu’s voice came out in a raspy, desperate growl.
"Don’t tell me it changed places. If it shifted its coordinates now, we’re truly doomed."
"It shouldn’t have," Ke Hong muttered, his voice shaking with fatigue. "The readings were stable an hour ago. Our radar said we were right on top of it, but now... the signature is vanishing."
A polluted core was a living thing; it could move to protect itself. But for it to vanish when they were so close was a nightmare. Then, Han Soi’s body suddenly went cold. His voice was filled with restrained anger.
"Someone reached it before us."
The air turned freezing. If another team had reached the core first, they would not only get the credit for stabilizing the zone, but they would also reap the "Core Treasure" the most precious artifact born from the pollution’s heart.
"Move!" Han Soi commanded.
Yue Yue felt herself being jolted violently as the three men burst into a full sprint. Her head spun, and she felt like she was in a spinning wheel. Finally, they skidded to a halt in a clearing.
"Drop the item and get out of here," Han Soi roared.
Yue Yue peeked out, her heart hammering. In the center of the clearing, surrounded by swirling black mist and the shattered remains of the core, stood a man draped in a dark robe.
The fabric seemed to swallow the light, and strange, glowing runes were carved on it.
The man didn’t turn around fully. He only tilted his head, a mocking snicker escaping his lips. "Make me do it," he challenged, his voice smooth and terrifying.
Han Soi didn’t hesitate. "Kill him."
But as the three orcs lunged, the stranger pulled out a long, terrifying spear. In the center of the blade, a glowing blue orb floated, pulsing with an energy so heavy that Yue Yue felt her scales crawl.
With a single sweep of the spear, a wave of blue power exploded outward. Han Soi, Tong Yu, and Ke Hong were all blasted backward, their boots carving deep ruts into the dead earth.
"Powerless," the man mocked. "You dare come here with such weak artifacts?"
The battle turned into a blur of violence. Han Soi went into a frenzy, his sword clashing against the blue spear with sparks that lit up the forest.
Yue Yue felt the world spinning. The shockwaves from the clashing artifacts were so strong they were rattling her tiny snake brain.
Suddenly, a massive strike from the blue spear hit Han Soi’s side. The impact was so violent that it tore the area of the pocket.
"No!" Yue Yue screamed in her head.
She was rolled out of the pocket. She went flying through the air, her tiny snake tail desperately clutching the small protective shield artifact she had kept with her.
She rolled across the toxic, black soil, tumbling toward the edge of the battlefield.
Han Soi’s eyes went blood-red. "YUE YUE!"
He tried to lunge toward her, but the robed man saw the opening. fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
The blue spear flashed, forcing Han Soi back into a deadly duel. He was trapped. He could only watch in horror as his tiny wife rolled into the darkness, completely exposed in the middle of an S-level death zone.
Han Soi’s eyes turned a terrifying, glowing violet. Seeing Yue Yue fly out of his pocket and hit the toxic ground was the final straw.
He didn’t care about hiding his power anymore. His body expanded and twisted. Black scales erupted across his skin as he transformed into his true form: a massive Black Winged Serpent.
His wings snapped open, cutting through the toxic mist like blades as he lunged fiercely at the hooded figure in black, his fangs dripping with venom.
On the other side of the clearing, Yue Yue tumbled across the jagged earth.
"Hiss!" She let out a sharp cry of pain. The moment her soft belly touched the S-level soil, it felt like she had crawled over a bed of hot coals.
Frantic, she used every bit of strength in her tiny tail to slither toward a nearby gray rock.
She scrambled onto the elevated surface and let out a shaky, breathless hiss of relief. Her little heart was hammering against her ribs, and her eyes were clouded with tears of pain.
She looked down at her scales; her belly was slightly red and burning.
It hurts... it hurts so much! She cried internally, still clutching her small protective artifact tightly with the tip of her tail.
She was so focused on her stinging belly that she didn’t notice the shadow falling over her. When she finally looked up, her breath caught.
A pair of hypnotizing, ice-blue eyes was staring directly at her.
"Hiss!" (Stay back!) she screamed, but it only came out as a tiny, pathetic squeak.
Suddenly, a pair of cool, steady hands reached down and lifted her up. Yue Yue found herself being brought face-to-face with a man who looked like he had stepped out of a dream.
His face was partially covered by a thin white cloth, and long, snowy-white hair fell over his brow. Those blue eyes were curved into a teasing smile.
"Are you his pet?" the man asked, his voice smooth and melodious.
Yue Yue screamed internally. I am not a pet! I am a wife! A Young Madam! She looked at his clothes. He was wearing a magnificent white robe, but the symbols embroidered on the hem were identical to the ones on the man in black. Are they partners? Did I get caught by the enemy?
She immediately decided to play dumb. She went limp in his hands, staring at him with wide, "clueless" eyes.
The man chuckled again, his blue eyes sparkling. "Such a beautiful snake. You really match my aesthetics. You are so white, just like me. It’s almost like you were made for my collection."
Yue Yue’s scales crawled. This guy is a white-color freak! Is he going to kidnap me because I match his outfit?
The man reached out a long, slender finger to poke her tiny nose. Feeling annoyed and threatened, Yue Yue forgot about playing dumb for a second.
She snapped her head forward, baring her tiny, needle-like fangs and letting out the most menacing hiss her small body could manage. freēwēbηovel.c૦m
The man didn’t flinch. Instead, he let out a delighted laugh. "Oh? You have a temper too? How perfect."
