Chapter 69: Battlefield
The downtown shopping district of Lǜ’è City was being evacuated. Sirens wailed, people screamed and ran, shepherded by armed SWAT officers.
Three interconnected shopping malls were affected. The incident had occurred a little after ten in the morning, during the breakfast rush, trapping many shop employees and customers inside.
Flames raged within the malls, punctuated by explosions, the cries of trapped people barely audible. Grotesque, distorted faces occasionally appeared in the shattered windows, then vanished, swallowed by smoke and dust.
SWAT officers and firefighters were attempting to deploy ladders, but the strong winds and flames, fueled by the unseen, terrifying pollutant within, thwarted their every effort.
The officers pressed forward, but it was no use, cries and screams echoing from all directions, people who had escaped collapsing onto the ground in despair, others, separated from their loved ones, weeping inconsolably…
This was the scene that greeted Xiang Er and Shen Yuhe when they arrived with An Yue, a scene of utter devastation.
Xiang Er’s brow furrowed, tears welling up in her eyes as she watched the crying people. She turned to Shen Yuhe, clutching her arm:
“Go save them, but please, be careful, okay?”
Shen Yuhe’s face was pale, her gaze downcast, silent throughout the journey. Xiang Er knew she must be worried about the people trapped inside, thinking about the rescue strategy, so Xiang Er remained quiet, not wanting to disturb her.
The car stopped in an open area, and An Yue jumped out, opening the door:
“Ms. Shen, this way, come report to headquarters!”
Shen Yuhe’s face was grim, and she turned to Xiang Er, hesitant.
Xiang Er smiled, her hand gently caressing Shen Yuhe’s face:
“Go, don’t worry about me, I’ll wait for you here, I’ll be fine.”
Shen Yuhe looked at her intently, as if pondering something, then suddenly asked:
“Is this your wish?”
Xiang Er:
“What?”
Shen Yuhe:
“Saving people, is that your wish?”
Xiang Er nodded:
“Of course! And fighting monsters, isn’t that your job? I’m very proud of you.”
Shen Yuhe’s expression softened, and she took Xiang Er’s hands, lifting them to her lips, kissing her fingertips:
“Then wait for me, I’ll be back.”
Xiang Er felt a surge of emotion, a sense of solemn heroism, her fingertips tingling from Shen Yuhe’s kiss, unspoken words lingering in her beautiful eyes, as if she wanted to say something more, but then she resolutely turned and left the car, her stride determined.
“Hey, wait…”
Xiang Er quickly followed, wanting to say something more, but Shen Yuhe was already gone.
An Yue led the way, Shen Yuhe, her figure tall and elegant, following her towards the SWAT officers guarding the entrance.
Xiang Er ran forward to watch. An Yue showed her credentials and quickly entered the restricted area, Shen Yuhe following closely behind without looking back.
Another explosion rocked the first floor of the mall, the second floor trembling precariously, a shockwave of grey smoke and debris erupting outwards, engulfing the two figures.
Xiang Er anxiously took a few more steps forward, everyone else retreating, only she moving towards the danger, dust and debris stinging her eyes and filling her mouth.
She strained her eyes, searching for Shen Yuhe, a tightness in her chest: So every mission was this dangerous, this was Shen Yuhe’s life… Only by witnessing it firsthand could she understand the danger, the sheer terror of it. Shen Yuhe was truly… amazing, so strong!
Xiang Er clutched her chest, a shy yet determined thought forming in her mind. When this was over, when the monster was defeated, she would… she would be more proactive.
She wanted to kiss Shen Yuhe amidst the smoke, the fire, the chaos of battle, to tell her that she loved her, that she would face this broken world with her.
And that she would help her rebuild it, create a world of their own.
“Aaaaaah! The building is collapsing! It’s collapsing!!!”
“There are still hundreds of people trapped inside… they’ll all die if the building collapses!”
“My child! My son is still in there, aaaaaah!!!”
“My wife is still inside, officer, let me go in and find her, I want to die with her…”
Scenes of human tragedy unfolded before her, and Xiang Er stood amidst the crowd, her gaze fixed on the battlefield.
She couldn’t even see what the monster looked like, the smoke and dust obscuring everything, explosions echoing from all directions, flames erupting from the collapsing floors, spreading along the outer walls…
The five-story mall was teetering precariously, the roof of the fifth floor collapsing, the fourth floor trembling.
Xiang Er suddenly saw a child, about ten years old, crying on the third-floor balcony!
The third floor was about to collapse, a huge chandelier about to fall and crush the child!
Xiang Er almost screamed, her hands clenching into fists, wanting to rush forward!
“Creak—”
Suddenly, something burst through the smoke and dust, soaring into the air!
The crowd gasped:
“What’s that? Holy shit! Is that a person?”
“Aaaaaah, is it a god! A god!”
“No, wait… that looks like…”
Xiang Er’s eyes widened, her heart pounding as she stared at the figure in mid-air.
It was Shen Yuhe.
Above the grey world, the endless ruins, the sun, indifferent, cast its pale light, and a single beam, like a spotlight, illuminated the woman in the air.
Bathed in that light, the woman’s tall, slender figure, like a silver bow, was bent slightly forward, her arms extended, pushing against something.
Her long hair and trench coat billowed in the wind, flames swirling around her light, graceful form, the chaos and destruction before her no longer terrifying, the shockwaves and flames like obedient pets, her body suspended in mid-air, yet seemingly standing on the heartstrings of everyone present!
The collapsing third floor of the mall, held in place by some invisible force, its angle and position corresponding perfectly to the woman’s outstretched hands.
She was so beautiful, and so powerful.
The third floor, stabilized, no longer trembling, the child on the balcony staring up at the woman in the air, then, a strand of black substance gently wrapped around him, lifting him and carrying him safely to the ground.
Then, streams of thick, black, ribbon-like substance, like sentient arms, extended from the woman’s hands, reaching into the mall, gently wrapping around the trapped people, one by one, carrying them to safety.
She was truly saving them, like a benevolent deity descending from the heavens, her movements graceful and effortless, rescuing these mortals.
Xiang Er stared at her, completely mesmerized.
People on the ground began to kneel, their voices filled with awe and gratitude:
“A god has descended! Guanyin! It’s Guanyin!” *(Guanyin: common Chinese name of the bodhisattva associated with compassion)*
“Wuwuwu… my child is safe, wuwuwu…”
“Have mercy on us, oh great god!”
The woman in mid-air lowered her hands, but the black substance continued to search for survivors within the mall. The third floor was now empty, only a few people remaining on the fourth and fifth floors.
The beam of light still illuminated the woman, who turned slightly, her face now visible to the survivors.
And the countless people below, regardless of their beliefs, knelt, bathed in the deity’s gaze, their voices rising in unison:
“Guanyin has appeared!”
“Thank you, oh great god! Thank you, wuwuwu!”
“Thank you… thank you…”
The deity’s gaze swept over the crowd, then settled on a single person.
A slender, fragile girl, pale and thin, standing amidst the kneeling masses, refusing to bow, just looking up, her gaze searching.
She resembled a delicate, aquatic plant, easily swayed by the current, her appearance ordinary, her power unremarkable, not even particularly beautiful.
Her expression, unlike the others, wasn’t one of fervent devotion, but of quiet contemplation.
Amongst the deity’s followers, she alone was the least devout, the most uncontrollable, the most troublesome.
And yet… the deity loved her, and only her.
Xiang Er stood tall amidst the kneeling crowd, she wouldn’t bow, she knew that was Shen Yuhe, not a “god.” She hated “gods.”
She saw the black substance. She felt its familiar, viscous texture on her own hands, that black substance… she knew it too well, its memory a haunting shadow.
How had that substance appeared in Shen Yuhe’s hands? Had Shen Yuhe used it to defeat the monster? What was it?
If, at first, seeing Shen Yuhe fly had filled her with the girlish adoration of a beloved hero, the urge to cheer and applaud, then the sight of the black substance had instantly extinguished that feeling.
She desperately wanted to know what it was, but she was also terrified.
Terrified of the truth.
She could only tell herself, ignorance is bliss, don’t overthink, this world was already crazy… At least Shen Yuhe had saved many lives, hadn’t she?
Shen Yuhe, in mid-air, turned to look at her, her face, bathed in the spotlight, beautiful and glorious, like a deity’s, but Xiang Er… couldn’t even force a smile.
Her palms were damp with sweat.
Shen Yuhe turned away and flew towards the heart of the mall, disappearing from sight.
Xiang Er hesitated, then started running. She had to see the battlefield.
She had to see how Shen Yuhe fought!
Her breath came in ragged gasps, her chest aching, she didn’t want to know, but she had to know, it was human nature, it was her nature! She wouldn’t give up, she wouldn’t be swayed, she knew herself, she knew that some people could live their lives in blissful ignorance, but she couldn’t!
She was an orphan.
She had never had anyone to rely on, she had always had to fend for herself. Even in the face of love, a part of her remained skeptical, wary.
She knew this world wasn’t so simple, but she had a right to know the truth, and then… to make her own choices.
Her chest ached with the exertion, and she ran through the back alleys, towards a hidden entrance to the mall, a path known only to locals.
As expected, there were no signs of damage here, and Xiang Er slipped inside, cautiously making her way through the mall.
Behind a pillar, she saw… the enormous pollutant, and An Yue and the others, forming a circle around it, fighting.
But where was Shen Yuhe?
Xiang Er looked around, but she couldn’t see her anywhere.
“Looking for me?”
A familiar voice suddenly echoed, cutting through the sounds of battle, the explosions, the flames, like a soothing rain on parched earth.
She couldn’t help it… she still cared…
Xiang Er turned around, and Shen Yuhe stood there, her arms crossed.
Her clothes were slightly singed, revealing patches of her fair skin, her hands smudged with soot, giving her a… strangely alluring, battle-worn look.
Xiang Er’s face flushed as she buried her face in Shen Yuhe’s chest, her voice filled with a sweet adoration:
“You were so amazing just now…”
Shen Yuhe hummed softly, her voice gentle and magnetic:
“Heh… I only fulfill your wishes.”
Xiang Er wrapped her arms around Shen Yuhe, her eyes closed, inhaling deeply, the complex scent of smoke and fire, bitterness and sweetness, a scent she wanted to remember forever.
As if it were their last embrace.
She exhaled, opened her eyes, and looked at Shen Yuhe’s chest:
“That black… substance you used, what is it? Why… why does it look exactly like… the Evil God?”
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