Chapter 192: Desperate Straits
Lu Yin was unable to contact Coco for the next three days. During this time, he found that he had guessed correctly; the attacks had shifted from hospitals to hotels and popular shopping centers. The space stations were soon crowded with countless people trying to flee the planet. Additionally, people were only allowed to leave, but not enter the pirate port.
Food and drinks were rushed over along with other supplies, as even a local branch of Shamrock Enterprises had run out of its inventory.
The most disturbing news, however, was that a branch of Darkmist Weave Bank had been evacuated. This portended something dark brewing on the horizon.
At noon, three days later, Lu Yin finally managed to get into contact with Coco.
“Brother Lu, what’s the matter?”
Lu Yin was flustered as he asked, “Coco, my friend’s been heavily injured. Do you know anyone in Darkmist Weave?”
“ Darkmist Weave? I’ll check,” Coco immediately searched through her contacts, enlisting Zora’s help as well.
Coco quickly raised her head and replied, “Yes, Brother Lu. A senior of mine is currently at a strange planet of Darkmist Weave.”
“Great, give me their location,” Lu Yin said in a delighted tone.
Coco fidgeted as she answered, “I don’t know his location, but I can send you his contact information. Go ahead and call him as I’ve already let him know that you’ll be contacting him.” She then passed Lu Yin a string of numbers. Lu Yin hurriedly disconnected from the call with Coco and entered the numbers.
A voice quickly replied, “Windrift Hall, Zeng Die.”
“Excuse me, I’m Lu Yin. Coco should have mentioned my situation already,” Lu Yin greeted politely.
“Yes, you can come find me. I’m at the pirate port in Darkmist Weave. You should know where it is.”
Lu Yin was stunned, but then quickly became delighted. “I’m also at the pirate port.”
The other side was obviously stunned as well. “Tell me your position and we’ll meet halfway.”
Lu Yin immediately sent Zeng Die his location and then headed north with Zhuo Daynight. He even used an aircraft to reach the meeting point sooner.
Zhuo Daynight’s condition seemed to be worsening as her face had paled even further. Her consciousness was also growing fuzzier as she started continuously murmuring something unintelligible.
Lu Yin did not know why he felt so anxious. He kept thinking about her desolate and helpless expression even though he wasn’t looking at her, and her weak and pale face came up quite often as well. He grew increasingly worried.
The pirate port was large, but the distance between the two was not that great, and they met after an hour of traveling.
Zeng Die appeared to be an elegant man who was older than Lu Yin and was likely not of the younger generation. There was a woman accompanying him who was most likely his partner as the Windrift Hall seemed to mostly operate in pairs.
Lu Yin did not bother with pleasantries and gently placed Zhuo Daynight down.
Zeng Die examined her and was shocked by her condition. “Such a powerful strength, and continuous explosions at that. It’s pretty good that she lasted for this long.” He then removed Zhuo Daynight’s coat and saw her black and white long hair. He exclaimed, “The Daynight clan?”
Zeng Die’s female partner was also astonished. “Someone from the Daynight clan?”
The two simultaneously looked at Lu Yin.
Lu Yin nodded. “Yes, she’s from the Daynight clan.”
Zeng Die nodded and did not ask any further questions. The Windrift Hall treated people regardless of their ancestry. The hall differentiated between good and bad, but not between backgrounds. This was a major reason why the Windrift Hall had such an excellent reputation in the universe.
“How does her situation look?” Lu Yin was nervous.
The originally silent Zeng Die raised his head and smiled proudly. “There’s no patient that a Windrift Hall member cannot save.”
Lu Yin was flabbergasted. This man before him had seemed dull, but his arrogance had suddenly rocketed just now. The contrast was very intense.
The woman spoke up, adding, “Don’t interrupt him. He’s saved patients with heavier injuries than your little girlfriend.”
“She’s not my girlfriend.”
“Right.” She clearly did not believe Lu Yin and turned away.
Lu Yin was startled—apparently, he looked too anxious. He stood up and walked outside to gaze at the dark pirate port. This planet was a battlefield for the contest, and the countless number of lives being sacrificed to fulfill it was too tragic to him.
“I heard Coco mention that you’re Astral-10’s leader,” the woman said in a curious tone as she walked up from behind Lu Yin. “I’m Kaname, an expelled student of Astral-7.”
Lu Yin was shocked by the admission, but he quickly realized that Kaname held no negative emotions towards her expulsion. “I was lucky.”
Kaname measured Lu Yin and smiled, “To be able to defeat the freaks in the Astral Combat Academy isn’t luck. Coco has shared the situation of Astral-10’s twelve new students, especially you. Thank you, for without you, she might not have made it in.”
Lu Yin smiled. “You’re being too polite. Coco’s innate gift for extreme speed means that, one day, she’ll be unstoppable.”
“Then you don’t really know Coco. That girl is very timid. If she heard that someone from the Blaze Realm was obstructing the entrance examination, then she would have given up, not daring to carry on. No matter what, the Windrift Hall owes you a favor.”
Lu Yin laughed, but did not disagree. A favor from Windrift Hall was very valuable.
Kaname’s eyes swept across Zhuo Daynight, who was being treated, and spoke again. “She’s really not your girlfriend?”
Lu Yin shook his head. “We met by chance.”
“That’s good.”
Lu Yin thought that her response was slightly strange, and he asked, “Why?”
Kaname gave Lu Yin a serious look. “Don’t allow any feelings for her to grow. If they already exist, then immediately wipe them out. Otherwise, it will cost you more than what you can bear in this life.”
Lu Yin’s eyes flickered and he glanced at Zhuo Daynight before again asking Kaname, “Why?”
She shook her head. “This involves the matters of the Daynight clan, so it’s not my place to speak. But heed my warning: never, ever let your heart be moved by her, or else the price will surpass your imagination.” She then turned around and walked back towards Zeng Die.
Lu Yin turned around, and his mind flashed back to the scene of Zhuo Daynight crying while muttering the words “them,” “parents,” and “Sealed Cage Technique.”
After slightly more than half a day, Zhuo Daynight’s injuries were stabilized by Zeng Die.
He got up, wiped sweat off his forehead, and with an exhausted look, said, “Alright, she just needs to rest for several months before she’ll be fully recovered.”
Lu Yin was very grateful. “Thank you, Brother Zeng.”
“No need. I’ve yet to thank you for the matter with Coco.”
Kaname spoke up. “I’ve already said that Windrift Hall owes him a favor.”
Lu Yin raised his hand. “You’ve helped me save her, so this favor has been returned.”
Zeng Die’s face grew serious as he replied, “Brother Lu, that’s not the case at all. Saving others is Windrift Hall’s mission, so even if Coco hadn’t asked me, I would have helped her if we had met the two of you. After all, the more we save, the better our fortune, and the greater our longevity.”
Lu Yin blinked. These words sounded very familiar as Coco had once spoken them as well. These people were very heavily indoctrinated by their master.
“We should leave,” Kaname reminded Zeng Die.
Zeng Die looked at Lu Yin as he said, “Brother Lu, this planet’s very dangerous right now. You two should leave immediately if you can.”
Lu Yin nodded.
Zeng Die and Kaname quickly left, and Lu Yin carried Zhuo Daynight away, as the girl had finally stabilized and could be moved without complications. He considered his options for a moment, and then piloted the aircraft towards the space station. It was time to leave.
More and more explosions engulfed the pirate port as numerous people escaped in a panic. Lu Yin sat down in his vehicle and gazed down at the chaotic crowds with complex thoughts.
Suddenly his eyes narrowed as he spotted a familiar figure in the crowds. Was that…?
He parked the aircraft on a rooftop and left Zhuo Daynight inside before charging into the crowd. A man among the crowds was quickly grabbed by Lu Yin. The man was startled and turned around to knee his assailant, but was easily stopped by Lu Yin. “Big Chong, it’s me.”
The man stared in amazement at Lu Yin before crying out, “What are you doing here?!”
Lu Yin pulled the man out of the crowd and happily exclaimed, “Why are you here, too?”
This man called Big Chong was anxious. “Did the family send you here? No, that’s impossible. Why would they send you here?”
“What does that mean?” Lu Yin started to grow uneasy.
“Don’t ask any more questions. Just leave now! Quickly!” Big Chong grabbed Lu Yin, wanting to take him to the space station.
Lu Yin shook off Big Chong’s hand as he had many questions. Suddenly, a burst of rushing traffic separated Lu Yin from Big Chong. Lu Yin’s scalp grew numb as he saw a glaring light descend from the sky. Everyone looked up to see the final scene of their lives. A solitary light beam had descended from the void to blast the ground into oblivion. This was a warcraft’s attack.
Big Chong shouted, “RUN, LITTLE SEVEN!”
Desperate cries echoed throughout the crowd as buildings on both sides of the street collapsed. But Lu Yin couldn’t hear any of the commotion. He had been instantly struck by the light beam and had instinctively activated his Cosmic Art. Yet all defenses were ineffective in the face of this attack that was strong enough to kill Explorers.
Boom!
The entire street was vaporized while Big Chong was swept away by the intense impact. Lu Yin had managed to evade the beam with Flash at the final, critical juncture and had not received a direct blow. Even still, he was swept up by the attack’s aftermath, and he spat out a mouthful of red blood. His hair, clothes, and everything else had been completely burned away while his body had been clawed to shreds and scorched. His blood was instantly congealed and charred to a black ash before he landed against a distant wall like a pile of rotten meat, and then he lost consciousness.
Another beam of light followed closely behind it, bombarding the adjacent street, and then the next. Each of these beams were attacks that could destroy a planet, and everyone was insignificant when faced with such an attack. Only a powerhouse who could explore space on their own could block it, which did not include the average Explorer. Originally, these light beams were supposed to be used to deal with the Cruisers of the Leo clan.
The entire pirate port was plunged into a sea of death. The beams of light shone out mercilessly time after time, killing an unknown number of people.
On the now non-existent street, Lu Yin’s body had been wrecked to such an extent that there was no longer any intact portion of his flesh. Logically, these injuries should have killed him, but the peculiar seal on his back that had originally prevented him from breaking through to the Melder realm had reappeared and was now emitting a faint radiance. It brought him back from death’s door and was slowly restoring his body.
After some time, Lu Yin faintly heard someone speaking. “There’s still someone alive. Grab him.”
“There’s no need. There’s not even a piece of meat left on his body. He’s dead.”
“How does that concern you in any way? Take him to Driftcharge Planet. The higher-ups have given orders to take away everyone who hasn’t died yet.”
“Okay.”
…
Boom.
Lu Yin painfully opened his eyes, only to see a glaring light that immediately forced his eyes back shut. He could not see anything clearly. What’s happening?
“This person survived even with those injuries?”
“He should have been struck directly by the attack. He’s really lucky to still be alive.”
“Someone like this still has to be saved?”
“Pshh, of course they’re not going to be saved. They’re for the cannibals.”
“What cannibals?”
“The Driftcharge Planet’s slaves can’t be considered people. They eat anything.”
“You’re saying that…? Eew...”
…
When Lu Yin regained consciousness for the third time, he saw that he was at a high altitude. He had been thrown down from the sky and was breathing in some kind of unpleasant gas. The surroundings were dark red, and lightning streaked past him from time to time. He had seen this scene before. This was what usually happened to planets that were about to be destroyed. He lowered his head and his pupils shrank. He saw countless black dots waiting below him and indistinctly thought, Are they… people?!