The most logical course of action Deep Sea proposed was to first extract the endangered youth. Nan Jin wasn't particularly taken aback by this suggestion. She understood the implications of coexisting with A-009 for a full twenty minutes without incident; this was an out-of-control entity with an A-level danger rating, and sheer luck couldn't account for it. The available data indicated that A-009 was in relentless pursuit of a truth beyond ordinary comprehension. Therefore, Gu Shen's ability to maintain a peaceful coexistence with her couldn't have been accidental. Was it possible this young man was also a sort of madman? There was no time for further contemplation. Wei Shu's voice broke the silence again: "I will cut off this carriage. Your next task is to take him and escape."
"Rumbling--"
The light rail shot through the night air on the outskirts of Da Teng City. A muffled sound of tearing echoed as the carriage detached from its companions. The wheels screeched in a violent friction, and due to inertia, the entire carriage began to lift slowly off the ground. Nan Jin, her expression unreadable, commanded, "Hold onto me." Gu Shen responded with a questioning sound, then lunged forward abruptly, wrapping his arms unreservedly around Nan Jin's slender waist. Beneath her expansive coat, he felt the warmth of a delicate torso, and his fingers brushed against several smooth, cool contours. He noticed three swords of varying lengths sheathed at her waist. Recalling the sharp glint that had sliced through the train earlier, he couldn't help but shudder. With a sudden jolt, the carriage tilted precariously, and the two found themselves pressed against the carriage floor, sliding at an angle nearly perpendicular to the ground. Nan Jin moved with sharp, rapid steps, maintaining her balance as if unburdened by the man clinging to her. It was as if she were a night cat scaling rooftops, the world inverted while she remained steady. She paused, stabilized her breathing, and focused her spirit, her hands crossing swiftly as she drew her swords. The blade's brilliance sliced through the darkness. "Clang, clang, clang" - three sharp sounds! The bone-picking knife intercepted the blades! However, a pained groan escaped Madam's throat once more, and even Gu Shen could see droplets of crimson blood scattering from her partially open black dress. The instant Nan Jin drew her sword, all warmth vanished from her eyes, replaced by an icy resolve. She didn't press her advantage greedily. Though she broke through the block and precisely drove a blade into the tall lady's chest, she immediately turned back. In that critical moment, Nan Jin's hand flashed out like lightning, seizing Gu Shen's collar. As the carriage rotated ninety degrees, she dropped low and stomped down, shattering the tempered glass and plunging downwards like a diver. The fractured glass and sparking electrical arcs swirled like seaweed in the deep sea. The derailed carriage ascended like a submarine, but this was land, not water. It tumbled off the track, a colossal stone rolling down a slope, impacting the ground with force and bouncing repeatedly. Streaks of brilliant light scraped across the earth, and just before it completely overturned, two figures leaped precariously from the sky, landing safely on a patch of grass. Nan Jin smoothed her coat, her gaze fixed intently on the dismembered carriage as it slid another four to five hundred meters. After leaving the tracks, the carriage came to a complete, silent halt. As dust settled, she remained vigilant, drawing the third sword from her waist and reporting with a cold tone, "Target secured... A-009 remains within the carriage." Wei Shu's voice responded swiftly, "Seal the perimeter. Reinforcements are en route. Do not let it escape." Nan Jin acknowledged with a soft hum. "Click..." Her attention was drawn to the carriage, which, after its period of eerie silence, moved slightly... Nan Jin swiftly drew her fourth sword. With a sword in each hand, she felt more confident, yet an unsettling feeling lingered. Nan Jin looked down and understood the reason: "How much longer do you intend to hold on?" "Can I hold on a little longer?" the young man clung to her leg shamelessly, flashing a disarming smile. "Big brother... I'm truly scared." Was that expression truly one of fear? He had been conversing cheerfully with A-009 while she was severing the carriage. "A-009's ability is corruption," Nan Jin stated flatly. "Under normal circumstances... she can contaminate anything she comes into contact with, including, but not limited to, knives, swords, metals, firearms... and people."
As Gu Shen replayed the train’s final moments, specifically the image of the lady in the dress extending her hand to him with a smile, an uncontrollable shiver coursed through his body.
Corruption?
The thought alone was terrifying…
He had accepted the Ruler’s covenant; surely that meant there would be no unforeseen consequences, right?
“During our recent confrontation, I cannot guarantee that these garments remained uncontaminated.”
With Nan Jin’s casual remark, Gu Shen released the coat as if it were burning him.
“Big brother still has a formidable battle to face, good luck, good luck…” While offering words of encouragement, Gu Shen cautiously inquired, “My abilities are truly quite limited…
Perhaps I should make my exit now?”
To be entirely truthful, his instinct was to flee.
When cultivators clash, it is always best to remain uninvolved.
“If you intend to depart…
you are welcome to attempt it,” Nan Jin remarked, casting a side-glance at the young man. She then sneered, “This time next year, I shall ensure a generous offering of spirit money is burned in your memory.”
Gu Shen: “???”
“This vicinity has been sealed off. I advise you not to stray from my sight…
as I cannot entirely contain A-009’s actions.
Her nature is both obsessive and deranged. Should she fixate on your demise, no amount of running will prove effective.”
Nan Jin carefully planted two long swords into the ground, donned a pair of specially prepared white silk gloves, and then gripped the swords once more, assuming a defensive posture before a silent, derelict carriage as if preparing to face a formidable foe.
She issued a final, low-voiced warning: “Until reinforcements arrive, my protection is confined to this immediate area.
The further you flee, the swifter your end will be.”
The night wind began to howl.
Visible to the naked eye, strands of silver light emerged from the encroaching darkness, resembling fireflies that eventually began to encircle the edges of the two swords held in Nan Jin’s opposing stances.
Holding the swords, Nan Jin now appeared as a resplendent galaxy stretching across the night sky.
Gu Shen swallowed hard; his existing knowledge offered no explanation for the spectacle unfolding before him…
What precisely were these ethereal, snow-white energies, flowing like the wind, composed of?
Could this be the fabled “Sword Gang”?
Then, a dull thud echoed.
With a resounding “bang,” an alarming collision sound reverberated from above the carriage.
To be more precise, the sound originated from beneath it.
Having been overturned, the metal carriage lay upside down. Amidst the swirling cloud of dust, a force seemed to propel it from within, gradually righting itself.
A moment later…
a tall figure slowly materialized from the shadowy, dust-laden air.
The lady pushed open the carriage door, bent her waist, and emerged with deliberate grace, as if she were royalty, maintaining her composure throughout the entire process, even carefully steadying her broad-brimmed hat with one hand.
Viewed from a distance, her stature rivaled that of the overturned train—she was like a colossal being in motion.
The two “long swords” that had been impaled in the lady’s chest were already succumbing to a corrosive, decaying force.
A sudden gust of wind shattered them, along with the intricate silver patterns, into mere dust.
From within the dissipating dust, the towering woman slowly turned. She surveyed her surroundings and finally came to a halt, her gaze settling upon Nan Jin.
An unsettling crimson glow emanated from her Snake Eyes.
Merely making eye contact sent a chill down Gu Shen’s spine; Nan Jin had been absolutely correct…
he should never have considered attempting to flee alone.
If that entity had focused its attention on him, his chances of survival would have been nonexistent.
The very next moment…
a horrifying spectacle unfolded—
The statuesque woman in her formal attire, rising slightly onto her toes, delicately lifted the hem of her dress and performed an archaic, perfectly executed curtsy.
As the bow concluded, the expanse of lawn stretching for hundreds of meters erupted with dozens of muddy geysers.
In the span of a single second, she had traversed the distance to Nan Jin’s sword range, her own blade, wrapped in weathered newspaper, slashing towards the intersection point of Nan Jin’s two swords.
“Clang!”
The resonant sound struck Gu Shen as if he were hit by a distant hammer, his ears ringing, and he collapsed heavily onto the ground.
Was this truly a boning knife?
It felt more akin to a bone-shattering hammer!
He watched as the formidable woman before him retracted her sword and stepped back; her coat billowed dramatically in the fierce wind, fluttering wildly. In that instant, she resembled a majestic Valkyrie, possessing a might so profound it seemed capable of leveling mountains and obscuring the heavens, casually withstanding that colossal strike.
Then, she lunged with her swords, retreating—
Silver Sword Gang, propelled by the wind, surged forth with overwhelming force!
The woman, maintaining her steady footing, unleashed dozens, even hundreds, of sword strikes in mere moments; the dazzling brilliance of her sword light seemed to illuminate the very night!
A deep roar erupted, and in an instant, A-009 was completely enveloped by the radiant sword light.
Her towering form, akin to a solitary flower buffeted by waves, was instantly sent hurtling backward, crashing with immense force back into the carriage, now obscured by smoke and dust.
The dust had barely begun to settle.
Once again, that immense, oppressive sensation washed over the area.
Sent hurtling by the sword's impact, the woman in the formal attire moved with an unnerving, rapid pace, her tiny, scurrying steps propelling her into another assault.
Nan Jin's face was like ice as she prepared her sword once more.
"Boom!"
A third strike!
A fourth!
The relentless barrage of high-frequency air currents thundered, nearly deafening Gu Shen, even with him shielded behind Nan Jin.
At that instant, the world outside the cacophony of the bombardment simply ceased to exist for him.
"…Wei Shu."
Nan Jin's condition was dire, crimson blood trickling from her lips, while the veins in her eyes bulged ominously, threatening to engulf her pupils and turn them a complete, shocking red.
This confrontation with A-009 was far from the descriptions in the file; a strange anomaly had occurred.
What kind of ordeal had driven her to such a state of frenzy?
Despite her severe injuries, Nan Jin maintained a semblance of composure, querying the control room via her earpiece, "When will the reinforcements get here?"