Chapter 91 – When the Roses Bloom (9)
◎ Qiong Qi ◎
A group of people burst into the banquet hall, swiftly carrying the unconscious Rong Qin on a stretcher to receive urgent medical treatment outside. Mu Qin followed with a dark expression, while Su Fengsa hastily announced the suspension of the match, busy maintaining order at the scene. Meanwhile, the other central figure, Song Ke, was left alone, ignored, and isolated in the room.
In the preceding matches, the participants won rather effortlessly. Most people understood that the so-called selection process was merely a formality. Mu Qin managed to get Rong Qin on stage, even under the clear awareness of his “young master” status. It was anticipated that they wouldn’t go too far against him.
As it turned out, Song Ke indeed did not go too far—she didn’t even make a move. Rong Qin managed to knock himself out, which was simply laughable.
Could she be blamed? After all, she hadn’t expected this awakener to be so incompetent!
After Mu Qin led the group out, Ruan Wenjun calmly stood up and, looking towards Miao Lun, said, “May I have a word?”
Miao Lun smiled and nodded agreeably. Leading a few mercenaries, including Godanwei, they exited the bamboo house and entered the opposite room. Soon after, Song Ke noticed the beautiful sister signaling to her.
Amidst the noisy chatter in her earpiece and the chaotic background sounds, Xu Xing was cheering for her victory, Zhuang Qingyan and Lu Xiaoyu were arguing back and forth. Song Ke wanted to interject but feared being noticed for her unusual behavior, so she simply shut down all communication devices.
Following the beautiful sister to a spot below the bamboo curtain, she inquired, “Are you one of Sly Fox’s people?”
“Um,” Song Ke nervously replied, thinking to herself that she’d have to apologize to Irene for using her name in this manner.
“You’re lying,” the beautiful sister’s expression suddenly turned cold. “I’m from the Western Street. How come I’ve never seen you?”
“…” Ah, busted. Song Ke sighed. She didn’t possess Zhuang Qingyan’s skill; she was terrible at lying.
“In fact, I’m not affiliated with anyone. Sly Fox is a friend of mine…”
“A friend? What’s Sly Fox’s real name?” the beautiful sister interrupted.
“Irene,” Song Ke honestly answered. “I had no choice but to say that earlier.”
The beautiful sister continued to scrutinize her with suspicion.
Song Ke raised her terminal. “I can contact her now…”
The beautiful sister gently pressed Song Ke’s wrist, frowning slightly. “No need, it’s not convenient here.”
“Do you really know Irene?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Has she returned to Mu City?”
“Yeah, a few days ago, we met.”
“After she goes back, can you still get in touch with her?”
“I can.”
“Give me your address.”
“What?”
“I want to ask for a favor. I want Irene to come to your place. I want to see her tomorrow.”
“…Oh.” Song Ke quickly provided her apartment address, realizing belatedly that the beautiful sister, though dressed in an expensive dress, had no accessories or even a terminal.
The beautiful sister noted down Song Ke’s address and then gazed at her face, her eyes gradually growing distant. Unconsciously, she reached out her hand—
Song Ke held her breath, standing still foolishly, too afraid to make a move.
Just as the fingertips were about to touch her cheek, the beautiful sister abruptly snapped back to reality and quickly withdrew her hand.
“Here’s a piece of advice, no matter the reason, do not join the Guard Unit. It’s a conspiracy.”
Her tone was mild, but a careful listener could detect the goodwill behind her words.
“What do you mean?” Song Ke was taken aback.
The beautiful sister glanced back, seeing that Miao Lun and Ruan Wenjun had already walked away, leaving no time.
“The Guard Unit is just a facade. Their true target… is Shaye.”
“Remember to arrange for Irene to meet me.”
The two passed each other by.
Under the bamboo curtain, only Song Ke remained, now even more puzzled.
Not join the Guard Unit? Besides this route, she couldn’t think of another way to get close to the General.
Song Ke activated her receiver, and Zhuang Qingyan’s voice immediately came through: “Is everything okay over there?”
“Yeah.” Song Ke briefly recounted what had just happened.
“Hold on, I’ll contact Irene to confirm,” Lin Youyou said.
Song Ke casually returned to the banquet hall.
Not long after, Mu Qin and his group returned. His gaze swept over Song Ke, showing no sign of anger.
“Congratulations on passing the selection. You’ll officially join tomorrow,” Mu Qin announced with a composed expression.
Song Ke breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed like Rong Qin should be fine.
Miao Lun slyly disrupted the conversation, “Mercenary, what I said earlier still stands. Coming to my side is still a good choice.”
Song Ke looked awkward, silently retreating to a corner. However, a certain gaze followed her like a shadow, akin to a hidden snake lurking in the dark. Song Ke raised his eyes sharply and glanced over, it turned out to be Tun Qin.
The subsequent matches proceeded smoothly until there were only a few participants left. An awakener named Ta Xiong entered the arena.
Taking a little time, he successfully defeated his opponent and joyfully returned to his position.
Ruan Wenjun suddenly spoke up, “Stop right there. Where did you get your crystal from?”
In Ta Xiong’s registration information, there was an exceptionally unique Level 3 crystal, displaying a vivid red hue within a deep blue body. Both in color and purity, it stood out as the highlight among the batch of crystals obtained that day.
Ta Xiong paused, a hint of unease crossing his face, “I obtained it while hunting zombies.”
Ruan Wenjun coldly snorted, “Is that so… Check the production date of this crystal for me.”
Upon Mu Qin’s consent, Su Fengsa immediately arranged for instruments to measure the crystal’s radiation.
“Sir Ruan, this crystal is new, produced within the last week.”
“Within the last week… within the last week…”
Ruan Wenjun repeated this timeframe several times. The military boots hit the ground as he descended the steps of the platform. His tall and straight figure, with his sinister face hidden under the brim of his hat, instilled a shiver-inducing sense of fear in everyone.
Ruan Wenjun finally stopped in front of Ta Xiong, “Tell me properly, when and where did you kill the zombie?”
“I, I…”
Ta Xiong, just a Level B awakener, under Ruan Wenjun’s oppressive demeanor, struggled with shifting eyes, stammering, and eventually speaking in almost inaudible tones.
Miao Lun casually fanned the flames, “Ah, the Hero Banquet is indeed full of surprises. The quality of this crystal is very high, almost approaching Level 4. It seems that the host zombie must have been quite formidable for you to eliminate it. You must have some skill.”
Ruan Wenjun sneered coldly, “Was it you who killed it, or did you steal it?”
“Three days ago, in Xiangang, you shot and killed a Level 3 zombie with an arrow, didn’t you?”
“N-no, it wasn’t me!” Ta Xiong was drenched in cold sweat.
Song Ke’s body slowly lowered, quietly hiding under the table.
Ruan Wenjun was evidently here for the crystal she had snatched.
Ta Xiong’s denial did not ease Ruan Wenjun’s expression. Without a word, he pulled out his gun and fired several shots at Ta Xiong’s right leg. The specialized bullets would explode inside the body after penetration, causing excruciating pain.
“Ahh—!!” Ta Xiong clutched his heavily bleeding thigh, emitting a heart-wrenching scream. Ruan Wenjun used special explosive bullets, causing immense agony.
Ruan Wenjun’s military boots pressed down on Ta Xiong’s wound, grinding back and forth, “You’re going to die either way. Admit it honestly. I can make your death a bit less painful. This is your last chance to speak. Did you steal the crystal?”
“It wasn’t me!! I, I… bought this crystal from Shaye,” Ta Xiong wept bitterly, “I wanted to participate in the Hero Banquet, to become an officer. I bought it from people associated with Qiong Qi, they killed the zombies and took the crystal. It really wasn’t me!”
“Qiong Qi.”
Upon hearing the name, Mu Qin’s and Miao Lun’s expressions noticeably changed.
Ruan Wenjun’s mental energy surged, a prelude to stress, and his gaze turned terribly menacing. “Who are you talking about?”
Ta Xiong’s face grew paler, “Qiong Qi, the leader of the Shaye refugees. I don’t know his real name, they all just call him Qiong Qi.”
The whole hall fell silent, even the participants dared not breathe loudly in the banquet hall.
The crystal handed over by Ta Xiong was placed in a transparent instrument, its elusive vivid red hue circulating, captivating everyone’s attention.
“Although suppressing the refugees is the joint responsibility of the warlords, Mu Qin and Ruan Wenjun, are you not planning to take action?” Miao Lun, glancing meaningfully at Mu Qin, turned the tables after being questioned by him earlier.
Quelling rebellions and bandits was primarily the responsibility of these two warlords, particularly Ruan Wenjun, known as a war fanatic. If they couldn’t handle a small group of refugees, it would destabilize their positions.
“The general is thinking about this,” Miao Lun continued to press the issue.
“Colluding with the refugees means death,” Ruan Wenjun pronounced coldly.
“Bang!” The sound of a gunshot rang out, and Ta Xiong’s head instantly burst.
Song Ke looked at Ta Xiong’s body, the one who took the blame for her, and sighed silently.
After this incident, Ruan Wenjun lost interest in watching the matches and left the banquet hall with his men.
Following Ta Xiong’s demise, there were only a few people left. After a few more one-on-one fights, the recruitment of the Guard Unit was hastily concluded.
Song Ke left the mansion with a heavy heart, preparing to exchange intelligence with her companions.
As she was about to leave, she caught sight of Tun Qing standing behind Mu Qin, making a gun gesture towards her head.
Song Ke remained silent for two seconds, then slowly opened her mouth, silently mouthing the word: “Fool.”
She didn’t understand why Tun Qin had such intense animosity towards her. It couldn’t be because she always defeated him in competitions, as he’d never beaten Zhang Ci either. So logically, Tun Qin should hate Zhang Ci equally, right?
Muttering to herself, Song Ke hurried back to her apartment. As she opened the door, she found Zhuang Qingyan and the others waiting for her.
Taking the water from Zhuang Qingyan, she drank it in one go while listening to her companions discuss.
“There’s a problem with the Hero Banquet,” Fang Zhixu, rarely speaking up, said.
“Mmm, too hasty, we were misled by the threshold of the Level 3 crystal. The truth is now out in the open,” Zhuang Qingyan remarked.
Song Ke remembered Rong Qin’s frenzy to gather crystals during the battle and Mu Qin’s seizure of crystals, presumably for him.
Originally, it was believed that Mu Qin, under the guise of recruiting for the Guard Unit, would send higher-level awakeners to the general to fill the vacancies in the guards. However, judging from today’s selection, the abilities of the participants varied greatly, making it seem somewhat strained to appoint them as the general’s personal guards.
“So, should I still go tomorrow?” Song Ke inquired.
Zhuang Qingyan paused for a moment, “Regarding that individual of Miao Lun’s… who wants to meet Irene, what was Irene’s response?”
Lin Youyou brought up the terminal page, “They indeed know each other, and Irene has agreed to come tomorrow.”
“Let’s decide after the meeting. She surely knows something, so let’s see if we can extract more information from her,” Zhuang Qingyan suggested. “Additionally, let’s dig deeper into the information about the Shaye refugees and Qiong Qi. I have a feeling this could be a crucial breakthrough.”
…
The next morning, Irene knocked on the apartment door.
After Lin Youyou opened the door, Irene’s first words were, “Where is she?”
“She hasn’t arrived yet, please come in and wait,” Lin Youyou said softly.
Alertly, Irene walked to the window, propping up her cannon to surveil the street outside, preventing potential surveillance.
Song Ke confessed about lending her name to Irene yesterday, to which Irene shook her head, “It’s fine.”
“Irene, about the beautiful sister, is she really affiliated with you?” Song Ke asked.
“She can’t entirely be considered mine,” Irene replied calmly, “She only arrived in Western Street half a year ago. I’d say we have a sort of cooperative relationship.”
Song Ke was about to ask further, but Irene suddenly gestured to her in a solemn manner.
“Here they come.”
A few minutes later, a series of knocks echoed through the door.
The beautiful sister stood quietly in the hallway, draped in a shawl.
Irene aimed her cannon towards the figures wandering outside the apartment, “You brought a tail.”
“They are Miao Lun’s private guards, they are just monitoring my movements, they won’t follow inside.”
Once the four individuals were seated, Irene adeptly handed over paper and pen. The beautiful sister swiftly sketched, creating lifelike portraits one after another.
“I’ve only located these few, they agreed to wait for further messages from you.”
“The others… couldn’t be found.”
Irene observed the sketches, “They’re from Western Street, thank you for the intel.”
The beautiful sister simply nodded, “For today… that’s all.”
“Do you still intend to stay by Miao Lun’s side?” Irene suddenly inquired.
The beautiful sister’s movements ceased.
Song Ke and Lin Youyou exchanged a glance. Lin Youyou subtly shook her head, and both held their breath.
“I’ve been thinking for three months, I still don’t understand. What do you really want to do?” Irene locked eyes with the person in front of her. “You’re not someone who seeks vanity, Miao Lun is capricious, each day with him adds more risk. Why deliberately get close to him?”
The beautiful sister fell silent.
At that moment, the guest room’s door opened coincidentally, and Zhuang Qingyan and Fang Zhixu stepped out together.
“Therapy can only suppress muscle atrophy. I’ve temporarily stabilized your broken bones with my ability. When we return to Tongwan…” Fang Zhixu was giving detailed instructions when he inadvertently looked up toward the living room and was struck motionless as if by lightning.
“…A Yao?” His voice trembled as he called out.
