Free Web NovelChapter 108: Chapter 108: I Just Want to Protect You
This was the first time Xiong Jie had seen Jiang Che use his own ability—the building before his eyes sank into the ground in the blink of an eye.
Jiang Che grabbed Tuantuan and Xiong Jie, paused for a moment, and entered the underground together at the same time.
In just an instant, everyone arrived in a dark, subterranean world.
In the pitch-black underground, with not even a hand visible in front of one’s face, the only thing in their ears was the auntie’s scream from earlier. Clearly, she hadn’t recovered from the shock yet.
With a snap of Tuantuan’s fingers, a wisp of ghostly blue fire appeared around them, gathering above their heads.
Jiang Che coughed softly twice; under the bluish firelight, his face looked a bit pale.
This way of using his skill was something he’d just improvised—dragging an entire building into the earth at once had taken a big toll on him.
The flame didn’t shine much, barely illuminating the small space around them.
Xiong Jie only felt darkness before his eyes, and when the light flickered on, he found he’d already followed Jiang Che into the building’s interior.
The older sister who’d just called for them to run was shrinking in the corner, body shaking non-stop, the sudden darkness having completely thrown her into panic.
"Sis..." Xiong Jie started to greet her, but then realized it sounded odd—as he looked about the same age as her, and hurriedly corrected himself, "Miss, don’t worry, you’re safe now."
Jiang Che felt a bit dizzy. Only now did he realize that his ability had its limits.
"Auntie, it’s okay now!" Tuantuan ran over and took her hand.
"Good child, are you hurt?" The auntie saw a little girl come to support her, and quickly checked Tuantuan’s condition.
"I’m fine, everyone’s safe now." Tuantuan grinned, then hurried over to Jiang Che’s side.
Only then did the auntie see that the people she’d been calling to escape before were now all standing in this lightless room along with her.
The ghostly blue flame overhead looked a bit creepy, but aside from providing some light, it posed no danger at all.
"You guys... weren’t you just downstairs..."
She lapsed into a daze, until she suddenly remembered that, right before danger struck, the young man holding the girl had reached a hand out toward her building.
"Daddy saved you all." Tuantuan looked around the room—besides the auntie, there was a young man about Jiang Che’s age.
"Your daddy?" The auntie suddenly understood. She knew that there were many "awakened" people in this world with combat abilities, but that was still so remote to ordinary folks like them.
Most of the time, their family’s only focus was hiding from a Dungeon’s arrival, and escaping the intrusion of supernaturals into reality.
They’d done their best to avoid it, but crises in this world were impossible to evade forever.
"Thank you, you’re really such a good person—strong and kind." She started thanking Xiong Jie profusely.
"No, no, you’ve got it wrong." Xiong Jie waved his hands quickly. It didn’t really matter if she thanked the wrong person, but if she mistook him for that Little Demon’s father, that would actually be a problem!
"That’s my daddy!" Tuantuan grabbed Jiang Che’s hand, almost boastful.
The auntie glanced at Jiang Che, then at her own son.
"Thank you. You’re... so promising, to have such a big kid already." She looked at Jiang Che and Tuantuan. "Unlike my boy—useless, already this age and doesn’t even have a girlfriend."
"This is my son, Zhou Ang."
"Mom! Just introduce me, don’t bring up the girlfriend thing," Zhou Ang sighed helplessly. Jiang Che appeared to be his age, yet already had a kid this big.
If Jiang Che only had a girlfriend, that would already be something—but now he had a child, and was this powerful? For Zhou Ang, that was just overkill!
"Still, thank you all, thank you for saving my mom and me." Zhou Ang bowed in gratitude.
"Let’s just stay here. We’ll go out after the supernatural leaves." Zhou Ang’s mother glanced around. She had no idea where they were, but it was very quiet here—no one crying or screaming, no weird sounds of destruction.
If possible, she wished she could hole up here until the end of days.
She hadn’t ever doubted whether they could get out—as long as this group could bring them in, they could take them away as well.
"Are we underground now?" Zhou Ang reached for the window—what used to be air was now hard-packed soil.
And the other windows, too, showed nothing but solid earth and stones outside.
He glanced sideways at Jiang Che, not daring to even imagine how strong he must be, to have sunk the entire building under the ground.
He scratched at the stone and dirt wall outside the window; his fingernails only picked up a thin film of mud.
The feel told him the outer walls were very solid—they were now more than ten meters below ground.
"Can you guys teach me?" Zhou Ang looked at Jiang Che. He could tell, among Jiang Che and the older man, Jiang Che was the one in charge.
"Teach you what?" Jiang Che was confused, not sure what he meant.
"Teach me how to use these abilities. Teach me how to clear a Dungeon. Teach me how to survive a Dungeon." Determination flashed in Zhou Ang’s eyes.
His mother had always taught him to hide—that life was the most important thing.
But when the shadow rushed in just now, Zhou Ang hated himself for not even being able to move.
The moment fear struck, he’d really wanted to run to his mom, drag her down and shield her in front of him. But under that terror, his limbs wouldn’t even budge—he could only watch, wide-eyed, completely unable to move.
"Bro, you should know, that can’t be taught." Xiong Jie immediately refused. "Skills can only be gained from Dungeons. As for awakening, you need to clear a Dungeon first."
If humans wanted to strengthen themselves, they had to enter a Dungeon.
"Then teach me how to survive a Dungeon." Zhou Ang’s gaze grew more determined.
"We don’t really have much experience either." Xiong Jie waved his hand. "We just cleared ours not long ago. The info we have is less than what’s on the internet."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Ang immediately became dejected.
"Zhou Ang, didn’t I say, don’t go into Dungeons? What would I do if you did?" Zhou Ang’s mother rejected him outright.
"It’s just too dangerous in there. If you die, I really don’t know what I’d do..."
"Mom, I just want to protect you."
"Look, it’s already been nine days since the supernatural descended—and then what? Three days? Two days? A total merge with reality? What will we do then?"
Jiang Che was a little stunned at his words. "You also think the time will keep getting shorter?"
"It’s already shortened. It’s never going to get longer. Everyone knows this is an irreversible process. Humanity only has a little time left before extinction—now it’s just about who can survive a little longer."
