Vol 19 Chapter 9-3 (1/2)

A big thump resonated as a sand barrier blocked the way of the Yellow Turban’s hand. This seemingly fragile barrier managed to completely withstand the attack at the cost of Imhotep’s face turning paler than before. The attack had injured him.

(These strange monsters are the bane of my existence just like Zheng said, or more accurately, the bane of all beings that exist in the same form as me. Are there other beings who encountered the same situation that I do?)

Curiosity sparked within Imhotep. He had heard a lot about God’s Realm from Zheng before Zheng fell into the deep sleep, since he would need to decide whether to join team China after their mission. The more he learned, the more he realized he didn’t know. Were these Yellow Turbans created to counter beings like him? What exactly was this world he lived in? What was the reason of existence for the natives of this world?

The situation didn’t allow him time to ponder further. Imhotep’s power became useless against the Yellow Turbans. Neither the liquid absorption property of his sand, the erosion of his energy had any effect on them. He so wished he could smack the five Yellow Turbans into a pancake.

(I can’t hold them any longer. They are stronger than when they were in Shanghai… We should leave first. They shouldn’t be able to match my speed in my whirlwind form.)

He gave a shout to TengYi and LiuYu. “Be careful! I am going to carry you off!” His body transformed into whirling sand and expanded outward. The sand enveloped the group before the next attack came. Imhotep carried everyone to the air, including those who were asleep.

(We escaped? That was easier than I thought.) Imhotep was thrilled.

The whirling sand could turn into a sandstorm at his will. However, a sandstorm formed outside the desert wouldn’t be powerful. The whirling sand also moved at a faster rate.

Imhotep flew fifty meters away then with a big thump, everyone dropped off the whirling sand. Fortunately, they were only flying four meters above the ground so the impact wasn't too strong. Imhotep was knocked back into his human form. His body trembled and blood seeped from every feature on his head. This was the first time his human form bled.

A translucent barrier floated in the sky. It was formed by the five colors representing the five elemental attributes. This barrier was what struck Imhotep. It looked awfully similar to Formations from Cultivation.

The group let out a sigh of relief when they took off but the sudden change knocked their heads into a daze. By the time TengYi and LiuYu climbed up from the ground, the Yellow Turbans had already surrounded them. Four huge beings floated above the ground. Their huge hands and bodies could easily crush any human… Wait, four?

The two raised their heads to see the wind attribute Yellow Turban floating directly above. More importantly, its fist was crushing down on them.

Screams were rushing up their throats when the wind Yellow Turban’s body compressed inward at its center. The yellow cloth formed a cone with the sharp point on the back of the Yellow Turban. A loud bang followed right after. The cloth started to crumble inch by inch.

TengYi and LiuYu recognized it was the sound of the Gauss sniper rifle. The sound of the shot reached their ears after its bullet struck the target. This meant that Zero had arrived!

Up in the sky ten thousand meters away, Zero crouched on the Sky Stick with the rifle aimed down. A magic bullet was loaded in the rifle. It was powerful enough to destroy the Yellow Turban as he had expected. Furthermore, the monsters needed time to close their distance.

(They are coming fast! Is it teleportation?)

The other four Yellow Turbans had vanished from the scope by the time Zero readied his second shot. He quickly moved his eyes off the scope. The eye related enhancements he exchanged allowed him to see far with his bare eyes. These Yellow Turbans crossed a thousand meters within this short amount of time. They were blinking forward like a video that was skipping ahead, suddenly disappeared then suddenly reappeared. The Gauss sniper rifle sounded again.

(It’s not a problem! There’s a pause after each blink. Each blink crosses a thousand to a thousand five hundred meters. I have about ten blinks worth of time… That’s enough!)

The unlocked mode and body enhancements raised his sniper skills by a great degree. Zero fired four shots one after another, blasting the remaining four Yellow Turbans into pieces. Not one shot missed its target. His firing speed and accuracy were nearly flawless.

“I handed the metal plate to Kuomintang. Xuan said humans in this world won’t be able to read the technologies contained in the plate within the next two hundred years so we can hand it to them. Once the alliance was formed, Xuan had me rush over. He said you will need my strength if Zheng is still asleep.” Zero explained the reason that he was here. He followed Xuan’s order as soon as he finished his task in Chongxing and thus saved the group at the last second.

TengYi and LiuYu exhaled a long breath. They looked at each other and saw the rejoice in each other’s eyes. Xuan did not abandon them or else they would be done by now. And of course… Xuan never expressed his thoughts like he was too prideful to do so, or didn’t bother, or looked down at everyone else.

“Speaking of Zheng, how’s he right now?” Zero asked.

Everyone’s eyes turned to the people sleeping on the ground, which included Zheng. The Yellow Turbans didn’t wake them from their sweet sleep.

Zero sighed. “We wouldn’t be in such a tight corner if everyone’s awake. HongLu and Xuan could each lead a group and complete this mission from two sides. Our manpower and mobility would be nothing like the current situation. I will protect you until Zheng wakes up per Xuan’s order.” Zero calmly said.

(If the Yellow Turbans’ growth is proportional to their previous existence, will I still be able to kill them before they reach me when their blinks are faster and farther?)

Zero’s attacks were at both extremes of strong and weak. With enough distance, he could kill someone a hundred times his stats. Yet, at close range, he could die to a well skilled fighter with half his stats. He killed the Yellow Turbans with ease in this fight but any attack from them could smash ten Zeros in one hit.

(We can only wait and pray for Zheng to wake up before the Yellow Turbans grow strong enough to kill us. Is Xuan’s group going to be alright without me?)

“What do you mean it doesn’t matter!?” ChengXiao shouted. “How can it not matter? Retard. Are you planning to throw me away after forming the alliance with the Communist Party?”

“That’s a fact.” Xuan said in a serious tone while holding the silver plate. “Because you are not going to meet the Japanese to form an alliance, you are there to threaten them.”

“But it does matter! Brute Force is a pillar to a threat and yet you prohibit me from using force. What am I going there for? A trip?”

“Uh -- not a trip.” Xuan said. “You are going there for negotiations and threatening.”

ChengXiao paused for a moment on the other end of the plate. Then his voice erupted. “Then let me go destroy a division or something. You know I am your stereotypical nationalistic youth. Why did you think I can restrain myself from doing anything after I see the tragedy that's happening in Shandong? I can’t act as merely your telephone!”

“One does not kill the envoy during a war.” Xuan calmly said. “Neither does the envoy kill the warlord. An envoy is the tool to enable both parties to communicate. Heng has already completed the goal of threatening. Your goal is to obtain the rest of the Buddha statue, not to act on your desire. We have confirmed two points regarding the Japanese army. One, they secretly entered Shanxi. Two, they have at least one piece of the statue. Your mission is to threaten them, make them hand us all the pieces they have, and make sure at least one person knows the total number of pieces it was split into.”

“This world is not the real world as I have reminded you. Don’t invest your feelings into this world. The mission is your top priority, ChengXiao. After that, I won’t care what you do.” The temperature in Xuan’s tone dropped. “So. Don’t drag down the team with your personal feelings. Or else…”

“I -- I get it!” ChengXiao shivered and immediately replied. “I get it. Don’t sound so ghastly. It’s scary. Your personality is scary enough to begin with. This tone only makes it worse. I will do my best. Do I really can’t do anything other than threaten the Japanese?”

Xuan suddenly sighed, “You are a fighter specialized in single target combat. Groups of under a hundred are what suited for you to take on. Heng’s strike at a division was a difficult decision to make already. Neither you nor Zero are designed to fight numbers over ten thousand people. Kampa and WangXia are the better options. However, WangXia has his mission, which leaves you to be the one to meet the Japanese military officials in Shandong.

“Furthermore, await my orders with preparation. If the Japanese officials insist on not handing out the statue pieces, I will have WangXia bring you the Magic Cannon. Though it’s better to not use the Magic Cannon within China. This is our situation. We have less than four days. Zheng is asleep and Zero is forced to stay and guard the other group. Our information is still missing the whereabouts of two pieces. I can only do the best I could. Pray that we aren’t in hell by the time Zheng wakes up.”