TYMIMA Chapter 119

The sunlight was blinding.

 

On a winding path in Qiong Valley Village, tire tracks had been pressed into the ground.

 

The road wasn’t paved with asphalt, just covered with yellow mud. In winter, fierce winds swept through with yellow sand everywhere. In summer, heavy rains created potholes.

 

To reach the nearest Taida City, villagers could only take this old-style bus that burned coal oil, discarded by the city.

 

In previous years, Qiong Valley Village residents had begged the War God Guild of Taida City to help pave a road to facilitate villagers’ travel to the city to sell rota fruit and shop.

 

The War God Guild flatly refused, just as they had once refused to save a three-year-old girl who had mistakenly entered an underground city.

 

Deng Zhi wore work pants and a windbreaker, carried a black backpack, and had a mask and baseball cap on her head, covering her features completely.

 

She walked low-key through the streets. Sunlight couldn’t reach her eyes, and the bustling atmosphere and noise on both sides of the road had nothing to do with her. She just walked forward.

 

After witnessing Erdiff’s death with her own eyes, she lost direction.

 

Was the source of her life’s pain Erdiff? It seemed so, yet also seemed not.

 

If it was, then the meaning of her life had ended. She had no need to live, no need to continue suffering.

 

If not, then who else were her enemies?

 

Who had turned her mother into what she was now, and turned her into what she was now?

 

She couldn’t think of an answer, so she could only search everywhere.

 

With her glands intact, her【Limb Regeneration】ability quickly restored her original appearance. She sent her mother for cremation and carried the ashes in her bag.

 

She traveled to many places, and finally, without realizing it, returned to her hometown.

 

This was the place she had always wanted to escape from, and also the place that had confined her mother’s entire life.

 

She didn’t know if her mother wanted to go back and see, but perhaps there would be the answers she sought here.

 

The high-speed train only went to Taida City. To return to Qiong Valley Village, she had to wait for the blue-skin bus at five in the evening.

 

Walking through Taida City, childhood memories gradually flooded her mind. She had gone to school here, traded lunch for a pink butterfly hair tie at the market, visited a classmate’s home in the city center, and lingered enviously at the underground city recruitment market.

 

“Mom, we’ve arrived in Taida City,” Deng Zhi said to the backpack behind her.

 

The backpack wouldn’t answer her, but just having it beside her gave her peace of mind.

 

Suddenly, a broad-shouldered young man walked over from across the street. He was fiddling with a lighter with his head down, lighting a cigar. Before the cigar was lit, he bumped into Deng Zhi’s shoulder.

 

He was startled, and the cigar fell to the ground.

 

“Damn, are you fucking blind!” He immediately bared his yellow teeth and cursed at Deng Zhi.

 

Deng Zhi lowered her eyes and just walked straight ahead without paying attention to him.

 

Erdiff’s death was closely related to her, and the Federation government had never given up hunting for the killer. She shouldn’t expose herself in public.

 

“Ugly bitch.” He cursed once more at Deng Zhi’s retreating figure, considering himself unlucky as he crushed the cigar with his foot.

 

The envious gaze of a nearby homeless person immediately turned to disappointment.

 

The young man was satisfied watching the homeless person’s emotions being easily manipulated by him. Suddenly, among the homeless group, he noticed an old blind woman selling rota fruit at a stall.

 

Rota fruit was a specialty of Qiong Valley Village. Every household there grew them. During harvest season, the fruits became very cheap. Due to poor transportation, villagers would try every means to sell them outside.

 

Many people, like this old blind woman, would pick the fruits, take the blue-skin bus, travel all the way to the city, find a corner by a wall, set up a stall to sell them all, then take the bus back at night.

 

She sat against the wall, huddled up, with fruits in a blue-pink woven bag—orange and yellow, looking plump and sweet.

 

They were indeed good quality fruits, so much so that the surrounding homeless people, taking advantage of her blindness, would occasionally reach into the woven bag to steal one or two to eat.

 

The young man suddenly felt a bit thirsty. He put away his lighter and cigar, his gaze falling on the old blind woman’s wrinkled face.

 

Of course, he wasn’t short of money to buy fruit, but he didn’t like being taken advantage of.

 

These homeless people were openly eating for free—why should he have to pay?

 

He walked toward the old blind woman, hands in his pockets, asking casually: “How much?”

 

“Ten yuan, one bag for ten yuan. All good fruits, very sweet.” The old blind woman spoke with a heavy rural accent, becoming energetic. Worried the customer couldn’t understand, she raised her dark, rough, wrinkled hands to gesture.

 

She didn’t know why, but no one had come to buy anything by this time today. She was eager to sell the fruits—if it got any later, she might miss the blue-skin bus back.

 

The young man snorted: “You have the nerve to sell this little fruit for ten yuan?”

 

The old blind woman was stunned and hurriedly reached into the woven bag to feel around.

 

After feeling, she froze.

 

Many fruits were missing—the top layer was already empty.

 

The street was too noisy; she didn’t even know when the fruits had been taken.

 

She quickly gathered up the bag, afraid more fruits would be stolen, then awkwardly gestured to the young man: “Then… then five yuan.”

 

The young man was delighted. He licked his molars and pulled out a shopping receipt from a mall.

 

“Alright, five yuan. Take the money.”

 

He handed over the shopping receipt and reached to grab the old blind woman’s woven bag.

 

The watching homeless people snickered maliciously.

 

The old blind woman felt something paper-like and released the woven bag. However, when she tried to put it in her pocket, she suddenly realized the money was the wrong size—too narrow.

 

She quickly realized she’d been deceived and immediately stood up from the corner, chasing forward: “This isn’t money! I don’t want this money! Give me back my fruit!”

 

The noise interfered with her judgment. She didn’t know where the young man was and blindly rushed toward the road.

 

“What you gave me isn’t money, you liar! Heartless! Give me back my fruit!”

 

She bumped around everywhere regardless, walking and shouting. Unfortunately, few people could understand her heavy accent. Soon there were sharp honking sounds and braking sounds on the road.

 

Someone rolled down their car window and cursed angrily: “Are you trying to die! Watch where you’re going!”

 

“I can’t see!” the old blind woman cried pitifully, slapping her thigh. When she cried, the wrinkles on her face deepened even more.

 

“If you can’t see, stand by the roadside!” the shaken driver shouted.

 

Deng Zhi, who was walking ahead, stopped.

 

Her eyes were dark and gloomy, as if shrouded in a layer of gray mist.

 

She had always been a cold-blooded and ruthless person who didn’t like meddling in others’ affairs. She always felt she was no longer living in this world—she existed in the gray area between the human world and the realm of the dead.

 

Everything here had nothing to do with her.

 

But the old blind woman’s crying sounded too much like her mother.

 

Like when her mother’s fried chicken leg was sprinkled with sand—helpless, wronged, desperate, accompanied by the malicious laughter, curses, and shouting of those around her.

 

Her feet retreated before her brain could react. Her Martin boots stepped on the ground, grinding the gravel into tiny sounds.

 

The young man hummed a tune as he walked through the crowd, wanting to take out a fruit to eat, but disgusted by how dirty the woven bag was. Rather than eat something that might give him diarrhea, he might as well go to a café for fruit juice.

 

With that thought, he casually threw the woven bag away.

 

However, after a few seconds, he didn’t hear the sound of the woven bag hitting the ground.

 

He turned back in surprise and saw the woven bag in the hands of the masked girl.

 

The girl had her hair down, wore a baseball cap, was dressed all in gray-black, and even her eyes couldn’t be seen. But the fingers extending from her sleeves were slender and fair.

 

Such hands aroused the young man’s interest. Perhaps under that cap brim wasn’t an ugly face that couldn’t be shown.

 

“Yo, what the fuck are you doing? Got the hots for me?” the young man provoked.

 

Toward people obviously weaker than himself, he had no qualms about exposing his dark side, because all they could do was cry from his bullying.

 

Watching them cry was quite entertaining and gave him an impulse to praise the law of the jungle.

 

“Kill you,” Deng Zhi said coldly.

 

“Hah, do you know who I am? Do you know what kind of awakened one I am? You want to kill—” The young man’s arrogant mockery wasn’t finished when he saw a black insect land on his face.

 

He frowned and slapped his face hard.

 

Slap!

 

After the loud slap, the black insect disappeared.

 

The onlookers watching the excitement couldn’t help but secretly laugh seeing him slap himself.

 

“Heh, insect-type awakened one, really thinks she’s something special. I’m a—”

 

He was furious and embarrassed, but couldn’t finish his words because he saw the gradually fearful eyes of the people on the street. They stopped snickering, retreated in panic, and looked tremblingly toward what was behind him.

 

Behind him?

 

What was behind him?

 

He turned back in confusion and saw a cloud of black insect mist hovering behind him. His eyes suddenly widened, pupils shrinking almost to pinpoints.

 

“Fuck!”

 

As soon as he opened his mouth, the insect mist attacked him, drilling into his mouth, nose, eyes, ears—any opening available.

 

“Ah! Ahhhhhhh!”

 

He suddenly let out a piercing scream, holding his head and rolling on the ground, frantically crawling in all directions.

 

The crowd scattered with a whoosh, leaving him disheveled and wailing for mercy on the street.

 

Before long, his voice disappeared. The insect mist flew away, leaving only a skeleton wrapped in expensive clothes on the road.

 

Insect-type S-level awakened first-tier ability【Bone Erosion and Marrow Absorption】.

 

Deng Zhi realized she still hadn’t heard who he was.

 

But that wasn’t important. She stuffed the woven bag into the old blind woman’s hands, pushed through the crowd, and left indifferently.

 

She indeed didn’t know that the young man was the son of the War God Guild’s president. Informants had already notified the president of what happened on the street, and he was now rushing here with the guild’s elite members.

 

Deng Zhi walked along the muddy path toward Qiong Valley Village.

 

There should still be some things at home—her mother’s things. She wanted to tidy them up. At least, they shouldn’t be left there anymore.

 

As dusk fell, Deng Zhi reached the familiar doorway of her home. She found their front gate locked with iron chains, and the walls painted with red symbols resembling evil-warding charms.

 

Within just two years, the Deng family had died out completely. Even relatives with the same surname hadn’t been spared. It was hard not to suspect that this family had been claimed by ghosts.

 

The villagers were superstitious and painted charms here, hoping to suppress the ghosts in the house.

 

Deng Zhi really didn’t have superhuman strength. With no choice, she had to climb over the wall into the courtyard and enter her former home.

 

Thanks to the ghosts, everything in the house remained untouched—no one dared to take anything.

 

Her gaze swept over various things in the courtyard and house, seeing that familiar axe.

 

It was here that she had chopped up her uncles and father, just like new students in underground cities chopping those Pouncers and goblins.

 

Wasn’t this place another man-eating underground city? Fragile humans had to fight their way through until they killed the highest-level mutant beast to escape.

 

She reached behind her back, touching the backpack, and murmured: “Mom, how did you bring me out of the underground city back then? You weren’t even an awakened one.”

 

“And I’m clearly an S-level awakened one, yet I couldn’t bring you out of this underground city.”

 

Deng Zhi settled into the house. She needed to gain warmth from familiar surroundings. Her mother’s shadows were everywhere here, as if they still existed, appearing before her eyes daily.

 

Just by looking, she felt she was still alive.

 

When she had accumulated enough warmth, she wanted to leave the Federation and go to the Pacific Island Nation or the Polar Glacier Organization.

 

To the outside world, she was a dead person. Disappearing completely would avoid bringing trouble to the Black Lamp Society.

 

However, she didn’t know that the War God Guild had already targeted her. The president had made a call to Blue Pivot District Two.

 

She lived at home for a while, her life calm as still water. She had tidied up all her mother’s things and was preparing to leave this place completely.

 

Just then, someone knocked on the courtyard gate painted with red charms.

 

Deng Zhi looked up, her gaze directed straight at the main gate.

 

Who would come here? She had no relatives left.

 

The heavy iron chains had been chopped open with her axe, and there was no lock on them now. But she didn’t need to worry about anyone harming her—this small village couldn’t produce a second S-level in a hundred years.

 

“Who is it?” Deng Zhi asked.

 

The knocking continued without answer.

 

She frowned, walked across the courtyard, and pulled open the iron gate.

 

The old blind woman she had encountered in Taida City stood before her, holding a bag of fresh rota fruit.

 

The old blind woman smiled at her kindly, her rough fingers pointing at the rota fruit before fumbling to hand it to Deng Zhi.

 

“Thank you, I don’t need it,” Deng Zhi declined.

 

The old blind woman shook her head, insisting on giving it to her. Her cloudy eyes were faintly moistened with tears.

 

She didn’t know how to express her gratitude, just desperately pushing the fruit in her hands. Her fingers had many knife marks from cutting vegetables—perfectly normal for a blind person.

 

“Alright,” Deng Zhi softened.

 

She couldn’t refuse the old blind woman’s tears. Her pitifulness and age were too much like her mother. The irreparable regret left a huge shadow in Deng Zhi’s heart.

 

Deng Zhi accepted the fruit and turned to get money from the house. She could quietly slip the bills onto the old blind woman—she couldn’t see anyway.

 

But as soon as she turned around, she suddenly realized something was wrong.

 

Even if the old blind woman was from Qiong Valley Village, how would she know Deng Zhi was here? How would she know Deng Zhi was the one who had acted?

 

She clearly hadn’t even made a sound at the time.

 

Too careless!

 

Deng Zhi’s nerves suddenly tensed, goosebumps rising all over her body. She quickly raised her hand to activate her ability, but it was too late. A rare lead ore dagger stabbed viciously into her back and pierced through her right ribs. She felt intense pain, and all her abilities completely failed!

 

“Ah!” Deng Zhi bent over, crying out in pain. Her baseball cap rolled off her head, her black hair scattered and danced wildly in the wind.

 

She struggled forward, trying to pick up the axe on the ground, but a group of armed inspection team members quickly rushed in from outside the courtyard gate, pointing their guns at her head.

 

A boot mercilessly stepped on her back, the hard sole grinding against her flesh and bones.

 

Deng Zhi’s blood continuously flowed into the courtyard soil. Due to the rare lead ore restriction, she couldn’t activate her【Limb Regeneration】skill.

 

She felt her life constantly ebbing away.

 

As the pheromone scent dissipated, the originally weak and harmless old blind woman transformed into Li Chenfeng, deputy officer of Blue Pivot District Two.

 

He threw away the now-empty pheromone storage tube and said regretfully: “One less tube to use.”

 

After all, Klova was dead—there was no way to extract ability pheromones anymore.

 

Inspection team members quickly put rare lead ore handcuffs and shackles on Deng Zhi. Li Chenfeng moved his boot away, crouched down, and pulled his dagger from Deng Zhi’s body.

 

Deng Zhi trembled violently, her lips pale, blood gushing out in torrents.

 

“Deputy Officer, should we help stop her bleeding?”

 

Li Chenfeng said with a stern face: “No need. Just keep her breathing. She’s not very important.”

 

“Ugh… ah! Mmm!” Deng Zhi growled lowly, her five fingers digging deep into the muddy ground. Her gaze glared coldly at Li Chenfeng. She still hadn’t given up struggling, hatred staining her pitch-black eyes.

 

Yes.

 

Her enemies weren’t just Erdiff, but also the Federation government that had allowed Erdiff to do whatever he wanted.

 

Together, they had created her tragedy, and countless others’ tragedies.

 

They really deserved to die.

 

Li Chenfeng looked down at the unwilling Deng Zhi, at the towering anger and curse in the girl’s eyes.

 

Actually, he had no personal grudge against Deng Zhi and didn’t want to make things difficult for a girl. Unfortunately, Deng Zhi had gotten involved with the Black Lamp Society.

 

Li Chenfeng finally looked away: “District Chief Si is almost here. After she reveals the Black Lamp Society members, then help stop her bleeding.”

 

“Bah! I don’t know anything! If you dare, kill me!” Deng Zhi cursed viciously.

 

Li Chenfeng narrowed his eyes, looking pityingly at this inexperienced girl.

 

“In Blue Pivot District Two’s hands, do you think you still have a choice?”

 

—-

 

The sea surface rippled slightly, and an orange glow faintly appeared on the distant horizon.

 

The sun was about to rise, and the Rosa Roxburghii Festival’s revelry had just ended.

 

After the celebrations, people simply lay down in the streets, using the starry sky as their pillow, and drifted into sleep.

 

Under the silver-leaf trees, they made beautiful wishes, hoping that the coming year would be peaceful, smooth, and all their dreams would come true.

 

Even the High Tower and Ghost Eye teams, rarely so unrestrained, lay between sky and sea, paying their highest respects to this boundless expanse and brilliant life.

 

Lance was covered with Zhan Pingchuan’s jacket, using Zhan Pingchuan’s arm as a pillow, his breathing long and even.

 

A drifting silver leaf quietly landed on his hair, but it didn’t wake him.

 

The journey home was still far, there was still plenty of time, and the morning light gently avoided his eyes.

 

Yet such a peaceful and beautiful morning was abruptly broken by a ringing phone.

 

Ring ring ring!

 

The urgent ringtone forcefully pried open Dream Witch’s eyes.

 

She frowned, groping for her phone and bringing it to her ear: “Hello, Dad.”

 

Just a few seconds later, Dream Witch leapt up, all drowsiness gone.

 

At the same time, Adrian also pressed his phone to his ear, his gaze cold as snow.

 

Lance sat up, the gentle leaf sliding from his body, taking away the last trace of peace.

 

He asked, “What’s wrong?”

 

Dream Witch looked at Lance’s amber eyes, struggling to suppress the surging emotions, and said calmly, “Something happened. Lucas has been arrested and sent to AGW Special Dangerous Death Row Prison.”

 

“My Uncle Lu?” Zhan Pingchuan quickly looked at Adrian, guessing that call must have come from his father.

 

Adrian put down the phone, veins bulging on the back of his hand. After a long silence, he said, “Blue Pivot District Two says they have enough evidence to prove he’s a member of the Black Lantern Society.”

 

##

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T/N: New arc starts!

【AGW Special Dangerous Prison】

 (advanced chapters available on kofi)