Translator: Larbre Studio Editor: Larbre Studio
Before long, Lou Cheng cleared his mind and said placidly to Yan Zheke, “Ke Ke, we might not have signal later, so I’m gonna call the Embassy now to get a gist of the situation. Do me a favor by packing the luggage. Keep important items and necessities in the backpack. We don’t need too many clothes—two sets will suffice. Dump the rest in the rolling suitcase. Be prepared, we might have to abandon those.”
The message that was just sent had the Embassy’s number.
It was Yan Zheke’s first time encountering something like this, so she panicked a little, but Lou Cheng’s calm voice and confidence helped her collect herself. Reassured, she nodded.
“I got it.”
She put on her clothes and scrambled to the sofa, where she laid out the luggage and picked out necessities.
Lou Cheng stood by the French window, phone in hand. Gazing at the burning buildings outside, he dialed the Embassy’s number.
He didn’t get through since all three lines were being used. Perhaps there were too many calls on hold. He decided to contact his Master instead.
“Heh. Never thought the day would come for you, did ya, smelly brat? Back when I, your Master, was in the war-tone zones...” boasted Geezer Shi casually.
Lou Cheng’s mouth twitched. It took him everything he had to stop himself from interjecting.
Shi Jianguo went on for a while. Still unsatisfied, he smacked his lips.
“There’s a war zone East of the Nile. Seems like it’s expanding... Just as I was thinking when I sent you on your training. And there it is! Alright, I shall not speak too much. I’ll ask around for the military’s contact in Nile. It’s not the same as the Embassy Martial Officers.”
Shall not speak too much...? But you have spoken more than enough... complained Lou Cheng internally, putting a hand over his forehead.
A minute passed before Geezer Shi’s message containing the number came. The sound of gunshots was getting louder outside, as though the entire city had become a popcorn machine. The flickering lights around them made the hotel seem like an isolated island in the middle of the ocean.
Lou Cheng wasn’t at all shaken by the situation, for he had encountered too many things in the past. He calmly made a call to the military dispatch agency.
When the call had connected, a cautious voice inquired in English:
“Hi, who is this?”
Initially, Lou Cheng wanted to give a laconic introduction like Dragon King—I’m Chen Qitao—but he gave a lengthy one after considering the difference in their fame.
“I’m Lou Cheng, a disciple from the Ice God Sect. Currently, I’m traveling in Nile with my girlfriend. Since I couldn’t contact the Embassy, I got your number through my Master.”
“The Sky Shaking Hou (mystical creature, LC’s nickname)?” asked the person on the other end, pleasantly surprised. It was apparent that he has heard of the Heavenly Son of China.
Hearing that doesn’t make me happy... thought Lou Cheng in amusement. He said in a sonorous voice.
“Yes. What on earth is going on in Nile? And what should we do?”
The military dispatch agent paused contemplatively.
“Tonight’s happening has been very sudden. There weren’t any parades done in warning. We don’t have enough information as of now. The only thing we have confirmed is that a number of anti-government Nile tribes have banded together for a mutiny. They are currently fighting against the Central Army. Reliable sources told us that more than 5 brigades in the Central Army have turned coats. There are a number of quasi-Physical Invulnerability Experts among them, and even more Inhumans.”
He paused, then added,
“It’s rather strange. In Nile, the Pharoah is a prestigious figure, and most of the Mighty Ones are willing to obey his orders. If he stands out and makes a TV address, things wouldn’t have become so chaotic. But, until now, the Pharoah has not yet made an appearance. It’s as though he had disappeared...”
He babbled on for a while before returning to the topic at hand. “With your abilities, you should be fine unless you run into anyone that counters you. Where are you currently?”
“Tetans,” replied Lou Cheng briefly.
“That’s rather remote. We don’t have any projects near there...” The military personnel pondered for a moment. “There are two ways out. The first is walking along the Nile River in the North direction and uniting with the industrial workers in KhuKhang. From there, you can head for Deeka. Once you reach Deeka, you can evacuate through flight or sea. If the road is blocked, you head in the northeast direction to the Port City, Fartouat, at the edge of Dead Sea. We’ll arrange boats to receive you.”
“But you don’t have to worry much. There’s a chance that the riot would be suppressed by daylight. I’ll inform you if there’s a need to evacuate.”
“Okay,” replied Lou Cheng flatly, feeling reassured.
He put down his phone and turned to Yan Zheke. Discreet gunshots sounded in the distance. The girl had transferred important items into a large and small bag, dumping the rest in the rolling suitcase. They’ll take them if they could; otherwise, they’ll discard them.
“Let me test something first,” Lou Cheng soothed her with a smile.
“Test what?” asked Yan Zheke blankly.
Lou Cheng didn’t reply, but walked to the side and carried the backpack. He turned his body and kicked forward, then struck with his elbow and threw a punch. The air popped around him.
“Good, it doesn’t affect my movements. I wouldn’t have to adjust my combat style,” he nodded contentedly.
“It’s indeed worth testing...” said Yan Zheke, gaping and looking a little vexed from not realizing it earlier.
Then, mimicking Lou Cheng, she carried the small black backpack and practiced some moves to get used to having something dangling behind.
“I’m a little nervous, but excited at the same time,” she nodded slightly with her lips tightly pursed.
She had always wanted to experience the life of a wandering swordsman, but running into trouble still scared her a little.
Lou Cheng chuckled and said, without a hint of worry, “The situation might not escalate. The military has told us to stay put and not head out rashly. Get some sleep, Ke Ke. Save the Wholeness Formula for later. Rest up for what might be about to come.”
“What about you?” Yan Zheke asked subconsciously.
“Me? I’m in good shape. I’ll research the terrain here and watch out for disturbances. An hour long nap is enough for me once you are rested,” Lou Cheng replied casually.
“Okay.” At times like this, Yan Zheke always obeyed his instructions obediently. Arguing or demurring would only be a waste of time. She laid onto the bed fully dressed.
Closing her eyes, she got into a sleeping posture. After two minutes, she opened her eyes narrowly.
“It’s a little hard to sleep,” she said diffidently. “I can’t even enter Solemn Silence. There’s too much going on in my mind...”
Lou Cheng shook his head and chucked. He sat down beside her and massaged her temples while chanting.
“Wholeness.”
“Wholeness.”
“Wholeness.”
The surrounding became quiet and relaxed. The tenseness in Yan Zheke faded away. Her eyelids became heavier.
“Cheng, this feels as if Mother is singing a lullaby for me,” she mumbled.
“Empress Dowager can sing lullabies?” asked Lou Cheng nonchalantly.
“No...” replied Yan Zheke, her lips curving upwards.
“No? Then why do you feel that way?” asked Lou Cheng, amused and perplexed.
“It just feels that way... If she sang me one, it will probably have the same feeling!” insisted Yan Zheke, slowly entering the land of dreams.
When she had fallen asleep, Lou Cheng kept an eye outside and listened carefully to surrounding noises. Simultaneously, he searched and downloaded a detailed map of Nile while the internet was still available.
In the sporadic sound of gunshots and shouting, he remembered something. He buzzed his hired tour guide and requested a car. Without the infinite stamina supply from his Jindan, using transport can effectively conserve energy. That could make a difference between life and death at a critical moment.
The tour guide, explaining the riot would soon be suppressed and there weren’t any places loaning cars at midnight, told him that he would be here with a driver at daylight.
At around 4 am, Lou Cheng heard the clamor moving closer and the sound of gunshots getting clearer. He quickly woke up Yan Zheke and asked her to quickly get into form.
Yan Zheke’s sleepy eyes turned alert rapidly. Soon, she was ready for battle without a trace of having just woken up.
The sound of gunshots approached. Glass shattered. On the first floor of the hotel, there was yelling and orders being barked. Lou Cheng donned his backpack and eavesdropped.
“The rebels are pillaging. They aren’t attacking anyone at the moment.”
“If we fight them, we might be marked as priority targets. Then we’ll have to deal with all the rebels in the city,” analyzed Yan Zheke with her eyes shifting as she shouldered the small backpack.
“Mhm. We don’t fight unless it’s necessary. For now, we hide and figure out what exactly is going on,” said Lou Cheng, studying his surroundings. “When the rebels are about to reach this level, we climb through the window and move down. I doubt they’ll come through a second time after one round of pillaging.”
“Mhm!” Yan Zheke nodded vehemently.
Pointing to the cars on the ground that was about the size of thumbs, he looked to Ke Ke and smiled.
“Are you afraid?”
“No! I’m not scared of heights! Plus, I’m a quasi-Dan Stage!” Yan Zheke lifted her chin slightly. “Plus, we have even jumped off of a building in the past!”
As they spoke, they heard conversations at the lift and emergency exit, carried out in English mixed with native dialect. The heavy and irregular footsteps were becoming clearer. Lou Cheng and Yan Zheke exchanged a look, then opened the ventilation window. Vaulting and using the bone shrinking kungfu, they crawled out easily and stood on the narrow protruding part.
He stood steadily as though his feet were plastered in cement, extending a hand to grab the girl’s delicate palm and aiding her to flip out. After that, he put his hands around her waist, jumping with every press, landing stably on the protruding point on the lower floor. His movements were meticulously precise.
Yan Zheke put strength in her wrist and palmed the sealed window open. A man and woman of another race, wearing only bathrobes, stared at her blankly. She hopped in, followed by Lou Cheng. They moved quickly, reached the first floor, and hid in an empty room.
After about half an hour, the rebels left in high spirits at the end of their pillaging. They didn’t even notice that there was a particular room with only suitcases and no guests.
There are always slippery ones!
“It’s getting a little out of hand. Let’s check with the guests at the hotel lounge to see if anyone drives. We need to find a group and evacuate to KhuKhang. The sooner the better!” decided Lou Cheng.
Forget about the military’s notice!
“I agree!” assented Yan Zheke decisively.
As expected, they saw many foreign tourists gathered, discussing pell-mell the situation and raising solutions in the lounge.
Just as Lou Cheng was about to talk to one of them, there was a sudden screeching from a speeding car at the door.
Lou Cheng retreated and shielded the girl with his body. Through the glass, Lou Cheng saw a group of armed Nile soldiers spreading out and locking down the hotel.
“Why did they return?” he muttered musingly.
Yan Zheke pondered. “This means that the situation is too chaotic. The rebels and government forces are scattered and operating individually. The one that arrived later doesn’t know that this place has already been pillaged.”
“Does that mean we won’t get targetted by their main forces even if we go out of line?”
“Mhm!” Yan Zheke nodded gravely.
At that moment, the hotel door was pushed open by a beefy military officer swarmed by armed troops. He marched in majestically.
He wasn’t holding a gun. Instead, he had a scimitar in his hand. He looked around.
“Take them away! All of them!” he said coldly.