Inside a budget hotel in Huaisha, two people and a sea hawk were sitting on the wooden bed, holding bottles of cold milk in hands, and taking a sip from the container intermittingly.
“Why am I here?” The girl on the farthermost right appeared confused. “Shouldn’t I be working in the club?” The girl then fell into thought. Since when did she start to follow the muddled head and run around? And why did she even have to run in the first place?
“Because you have seen something you shouldn’t have seen,” said the sea hawk, taking a sip from the bottle as if it was a human.
“Something I shouldn’t have seen?” What are you talking about? You talking seahawk!” asked the girl. She had seen enough weird things and now was able to speak to the mutant sea hawk calmly.
“You and Xie Qiaoyue are my lucky chosen ones,” the sea hawk said in a matter of fact voice. “Next, I will endow you with a brain development technique that could tap our own potential.”
Xie Qiaoyue chuckled and continued drinking her milk. “Ever since I have been chosen, I am running like a stray cur. No. I am one, actually.”
“No worries. Soon and as long as you do as I say, a grand mansion, fine vine, superyacht, private beach—you name it, will all be yours.” The sea hawk spread out a wing and said gravely.
“I just want to ask: when can I go back? I will surely lose my job if I return too late.” The female receptionist asked cautiously.
“Don’t you still want the mansion, yacht, private beach, and all that I have mentioned?” The sea asked.
“I do…”
“Then follow me. For all the years I have lived, I have never failed to deliver what I have promised! Got it?” the sea hawk said proudly.
“Got… got it…” The receptionist girl nodded muddleheaded. “Then, when can I go back to my job?”
“You are getting on my nerves already!” The sea hawk growled. “All you think about is your job. How much could you make in your entire life in this job? You loser! We should plan our next course of action. We have been holing up here for several days; it’s time to make your first step.” The sea hawk snorted.
“But we are running out of money.” Xie Qiaoyue chimed in. “Prices of goods are increasing too fasts. Had it not been for this receptionist girl, we could have been caught long ago, let alone staying in the hotel.”
“I still have a little…” The receptionist girl could not help but say softly.
“Wow, not bad!” The sea hawk felt spirited. “Don’t be worried. Just consider this as an I-owe-you loan. I will give repay you an additional mansion someday! By the way, what is your name?”
The receptionist girl could not have cared less. She worked in the Ironfist society because she thought the task was easy and the pay was good in the first place. Never in her entire life had she dreamed of such extravagant things. Redwin would have identified her if not for her obscure origin—she had no family.
“My name is Tan Yue. You all—” Before she could continue, a hurried siren was heard outside.
Xie Qiaoyue immediately got out of bed, running to the window and peeking out from behind the curtains.
Black armored vehicles and troop carriers were whooshing past the gray street outside the hotel. While the leading police escort vehicles were flashing their strobe lights brilliantly in the front, each of the armored vehicles in the middle had two military officers standing erect, and they all seemed to be highly ranked.
Just then, a chopping noise was heard coming from a far distance in the sky. Xie Qiaoque quickly spotted a back attack helicopter flying rapidly toward a direction.
“What’s happening? That’s a hell lot of noise!” Xie Qiaoyue poked out her tongue.
“The army seems to be moving in the Blackwater district’s direction. Something could have happened there.” The sea hawk flew over to the window and said gravely.
“They have even mobilized the Darksiders and bazookas. Something big must have happened.” Xie Qiaoyue carefully opened the window and stretched out her neck to take a better view of the outside.
Passersby also stopped on the sidewalks watching what the hoo-ha was all about. Redwin had not carried out troop mobilization for a while. Just when the residents of Huaisha began to feel a little at ease and restarted their daily routine, this large-scale troop movement was causing more worries as well as curiosity among the population, and arousing speculations among the folks in the streets.
“There was an explosion in Luohu Street, and fire raging in Blackwater district. Our colleagues in the E&E have been called to serve as the emergency medical crew there.”
“I thought it was a war between the supernaturals?” Someone was heard saying in a low voice.
“I did not see it. But whether supernaturals or not, many people have died. Those who have survived don’t seem to be any better. It is said that many of the victims come from the Ironfist Society.” A few young men and women, dressed in medical personnel uniform, were seen discussing among themselves in front of the convenient store next to the hotel.
Xie Qiaoyue suddenly felt a pang of guilt rising in her upon hearing the mention of the Ironfist Society. She knew she was the culprit who brought this disaster upon them. The monster that she had lured there had skilled several people there, and the blood would naturally be on her hands.
“This situation here is becoming more and more chaotic. I must not stay here anymore. I have to find a way out!” She decided in her mind.
…….
Strands of yellow electric light turned into a sphere in Khadula’s hand before it shrank and dissipated to become a tiny plume of green smoke.
“Tear him into pieces!” Khadula roared. An uncountable number of pale arms rose and crashed down at the man like a storm. The arms had filled every inch of the space in the hall, tightly squeezing the man in the center.
“Thunderbeast!” When the man tapped his finger on his brow, streaks of electric arc burst out around him and formed a bolt of blazing lightning. Like the flare of the sun, the light was so bright that no one could stare at it with naked eyes. “Since everyone is here, you all shall perish together!” A golden radiance flashed in his eyes as his pupils suddenly contracted. Following immediately, a tidal wave of energy exploded in the Thunderbeast, as if tons of high-energy explosives were detonated at once.
Immediately, the high-energy yellow arcs shredded the mountains of arms like papers, the force of the explosion sent dust and broken stones flying out in all directions, leaving behind an empty courtyard outside.
“Where the hell is he?” The man was startled. Before he knew it, a gigantic black hand emerged out of nowhere on his right, striking down from the air like a bolt of lightning, sending the man flying out like a ball. He crashed through the sidewall of the building, brought down an electricity pole on the street, rammed into a white car that, unfortunately, happened to drive and landed on his back. The impact shattered the car windows in an instant and forced the vehicle, sliding sideways for over ten meters before landing in a ditch.
The man coughed, his body still flickering with electric arcs. He pulled himself out from the damaged vehicle and stared at the Ironfist Society building that still billowed thick clouds of smog.
“Good. *cough* It has been a long while since I last suffered this level of injury.
A loud boom was heard inside the Ironfist Society when a pavilion collapsed in half. Following immediately, a six-meter old man wearing a yellow robe emerged from within, his arms growing on the side of his body looked like the legs of a centipede. In the middle of it was the pretty face of Khadula.
