Chapter 157: The Death of Tuan Tuan (Part Two)

After the stadium building was crushed by the giant deer, the ordinary people outside could clearly see the battle unfolding within. The continuous gunfire naturally attracted the attention of many.

Many onlookers closed their eyes, unable to bear the cruel sight.

Having taken no part in the battle, they could not comprehend what the people inside had experienced to drive them to such madness.

"Stop!"

At that moment, a loud shout rang out. A dark shadow flashed across the air like lightning, pulling the young girl's body into its embrace.

Yet the awakeners had already been consumed by a bloodlust so fierce that no mere words could halt their attack.

The gunfire did not cease; the targets merely shifted slightly. Once aimed at the girl, they were now directed at the man who had suddenly appeared in the sky.

...

Suspended in mid-air, Kong Zhe used his forward momentum to distance himself from the center of the chaos, but the bullets clung to him like shadows.

This made him frown deeply, a surge of anger boiling in his chest. He was certain that if given even a few moments—just a few seconds—he could have slaughtered the crowd below down to the last person.

Yet time was not on his side. High in the air, he could not even control his direction of drift.

Left with no choice, he condensed the Samadhi flames surrounding him to their absolute limit, releasing every drop of remaining mana within his body to forge a solid magical shield across his skin—the strongest defense he could currently muster.

Kong Zhe arched his body, shielding Tuan Tuan tightly within his arms. The barrage of gunfire she had just endured was horrifying to witness, even from a distance.

To be honest, he could not even be sure if Tuan Tuan was still alive, but he had no time to check her condition. All he could do was try his best to protect her from further harm.

At the same time, he prayed for a swift descent; the moment he touched the ground, he would find a way to escape.

The people below had clearly gone mad. Their objective was no longer seizing treasures; they were killing simply for the sake of killing.

Kong Zhe noticed more figures converging on their position, fueling his growing anxiety.

Even with a double layer of defense active, facing such a massive onslaught caused his health pool to plummet rapidly, hitting rock bottom in the blink of an eye—while he was still some distance from the ground.

Could it be that he was truly going to perish here today?

Kong Zhe sighed. In a fleeting moment of daze, he seemed to hear a chilling laugh echoing from not far ahead.

"Ke-ke-ke, you shall die tonight. It is your destiny!"

The voice drifted near and far, hoarse and eerie.

Kong Zhe jerked his head up and distinctly saw a skeletal figure shrouded in black robes, wielding a scythe. Two ghostly blue flames burned within its empty eye sockets as it sneered at him.

The apparition looked precisely like the legendary Grim Reaper!

Kong Zhe froze, a chill running down his spine. At the very same instant, he realized with horror that his health had bottomed out. The next second would bring death!

Is this the end? What a pity, so close, just a hair's breadth away...

Looking down at his current altitude, Kong Zhe sighed and tightened his grip around the girl.

So it was true that one sees the Grim Reaper before death!

Yet when he lifted his head once more, the so-called Reaper had vanished. The brilliant night sky stretched out before him, utterly empty.

"An illusion?"

Just as the thought flashed through his mind, Kong Zhe felt a wave of comforting warmth wash over him.

"Brother Kong Zhe! Be careful!"

A familiar voice rang out from behind. Kong Zhe started, a surge of joy suddenly welling up in his chest.

"Xiao Lei!"

Kong Zhe glanced back. Sure enough, among the crowd, the staff-wielding girl stood out brilliantly.

Xiao Lei had reached the outer edge of the gathering. The thrilling sight of Kong Zhe's peril had nearly stopped her heart.

Fortunately, her skill levels were high and her casting range was long. In the nick of time amidst the crisis, she had managed to cast a Word of Power: Shield on him.

Though it was only a minor spell and shattered swiftly under the barrage—lasting less than two seconds—that fleeting window of time was infinitely precious to Kong Zhe.

As he rolled upon landing, a ripple of fire burst from his body, and the intense heat of the Samadhi flames ruthlessly harvested the lives around him.

The vegetation on the ground withered instantly, and even the awakeners were forced back a step by the scorching heat. More importantly, the glare of the fire completely obscured Kong Zhe's figure.

Unable to find their target, the crowd fired blindly into the blazing light.

Amidst the chaos, Xiao Lei was shoved and jostled by the surging crowd, nearly tumbling to the ground. Being rather short to begin with, she was entirely blocked by the walls of people, losing sight of Kong Zhe completely.

Listening to the incessant gunfire echoing around her, anxiety gripped her heart. But just as panic threatened to overwhelm her, she felt a large hand grab her arm.

Gasp!

Xiao Lei jumped in fright, but upon looking up, she saw it was Kong Zhe and let out a cry of delighted surprise.

"Brother Kong Zhe, you..."

"Hush!"

Kong Zhe hurriedly made a silencing gesture.

His current state was profoundly weak. Though he had escaped using Xiao Lei's cover and the spatial card's illusion, his health bar had been practically emptied. He was down to single-digit HP, and his mana was completely exhausted. Another hit of any kind would surely spell death.

Kong Zhe swept his gaze across the surroundings and frowned heavily.

"Let's get out of here first!"

Dragging Xiao Lei, Kong Zhe wove rapidly back and forth through the crowd, cutting a path through the throng. As they fled, he uncorked a health potion and swallowed it in one go. Bathed in a faint green glow, his vitality began to slowly recover.

By now, the awakeners present had descended into total madness.

Having lost Kong Zhe as a target for their pent-up rage, they slowly began firing upon the people around them.

As more individuals packed into the area, the situation deteriorated further. Within moments, the scene had degenerated into an outright battlefield.

Gunfire rang out endlessly. People fired without even knowing why; they simply followed the lead of others.

Since someone was shooting at them, they felt compelled to return fire—the crowd was now governed by this most primitive mindset.

"Rat-a-tat-tat..."

Having exhausted their mana in the preceding battles, the awakeners were reduced to using firearms.

Amidst the relentless hail of gunfire, the awakeners grinned hideously as they reaped each other's lives.

Moving carefully through the thick of the crowd, Kong Zhe pressed forward. Despite his high speed, the situation remained perilous.

The area was far too dangerous. Though Kong Zhe tried his utmost to evade, he was still struck several times by stray bullets cutting through the air.

The meager health points he had just recovered plummeted back to rock bottom. A flicker of anger arose in Kong Zhe, but he was powerless to do anything about it.

This was no time to settle scores; escaping with their lives took absolute precedence. Furthermore, an even greater concern weighed on his mind—Tuan Tuan in his arms... Though he had no time to check, the gradual cooling of her body made his heart sink.

Could it be...

Scores of seconds later, having skirted around the tighter clusters of the crowd, Kong Zhe finally led Xiao Lei out of the danger zone.

With a few bounds, the two returned to the rooftop of the building where Xue Feifei had been stationed earlier.

"Tuan Tuan!"

Barely had his feet touched the ground when Xue Feifei, her hair disheveled and resembling an avenging spirit, rushed forward.

Kong Zhe sighed and held Tuan Tuan out.

"I'm sorry... I was still a step too late..."

His expression was laced with sorrow.

"Ah..."

Hearing this, Xue Feifei's heart plummeted. Xiao Lei let out a cry of dismay behind her and hurried over.

In the heat of the frantic battle, there had been no time for thought; Kong Zhe had clutched Tuan Tuan tightly to his chest, blocking her from view.

Only now did the two girls clearly see Tuan Tuan's condition.

The poor girl's breath had long since faded. Her face and body were caked in blood—some her own, some Kong Zhe's.

At this moment, her entire body was riddled with bullet holes, the smell of gunpowder overpowering even the stench of blood. One of her arms and part of a lower leg had been utterly shredded by gunfire, hanging by mere shreds of muscle, on the verge of detaching entirely. The flesh on her left cheek had been brutally torn open by a high-powered armor-piercing round. Were it not for the clothes she wore, the others might not even have recognized her as Tuan Tuan.

On the way back, Kong Zhe had attempted to feed Tuan Tuan a healing potion, to no avail.

Her health bar had not merely dropped to zero; life had completely abandoned her. If not for her status as a semi-awakener possessing human traits, her corpse might have vanished entirely like those of other awakeners.

Even so, an awakener's body was destined to fade away; her human bloodline merely delayed the process slightly.

Xiao Lei felt all her strength drain away. She collapsed limply before Tuan Tuan's corpse, weeping uncontrollably.

Looking upon Tuan Tuan's mutilated remains, Xiao Lei found it hard to believe that her dearest friend—the one who had encouraged her all along—had met such a tragic end.

"How... how could this... be? It's... it's too cruel... wuwu..."

Faced with overwhelming grief, she could do nothing, uttering only childlike, helpless complaints.

As for Xue Feifei, tears failed her entirely now. She crouched down, gathering Tuan Tuan's body into her arms, staring blankly at the motionless girl with lifeless eyes, utterly dazed.

"Holy Angel... I hate you..."

"Don't worry, before I fall, I will never let anyone hurt you. This is a knight's promise!"

"Big sister, I beg you, don't leave me behind..."