Lie Huo Jiao Chou Volume 1 Chapter 9

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Making the person reminisce of a snowy night, and a palace as warm as spring.

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　　Xuan Ji's first reaction was: "Fat girl, go out and inform the field workers downstairs."

　　Ping Qian Ru replied simply: "Director Xiao has informed us, you can rest a.s.sured."
　　
　　Xuan Ji : "..…."

　　There were less than fifteen minutes left. Just in case Xiao Zheng and his rubbish field workers who followed him didn't catch the caster, this was the front line facing the big devil, which was almost the same as holding a bomb.

　　The keypoint of Xuan Ji's statement was "go out". In order to prevent the "you go first" and "no, I can't leave you" and such melodramatic dialogue to take place, Xuan Ji specially planned to give her a task to use as an excuse, in order to make her conscience a little more at ease when she had fled the battle. 　

　　As long as she was a little quick-witted, she should know that it was time to go downhill and flee.
　　
　　But this fat girl was not at all enlightened, even also comforting him by saying: "Big sister Bi has been working for almost 30 years, she was still a field personnel of the Ministry of Security who just resigned to the second line. She is experienced and will certainly be alright! Steady yourself, we can win."
　　
　　Steady your a.s.s!  Modern youth was finally ruining the game!
　　
　　"I want you to go out," Xuan Ji couldn't manage to be indirect anymore, "It's no use getting in my way."

　　"Director Xuan..."

　　"Shut up, get out of here!"

　　The thick white mist outside the window rushed into the broken window. The shattered gla.s.s trembled, the fluttering edges sounding, probably covering up Ping Qian Ru's footsteps as she left.

　　The fat girl outside really didn't make a sound.
　　
　　The surrounding was extremely quiet, Sheng Lingyuan suddenly asked: "Are you from the Qing Ping Division?"

　　"Qing Ping Division was gone more than 700 years ago." Xuan Ji's heart jumped, asking, "Do you know the Qing Ping Division?"
　　
　　Sheng Lingyuan said "ah", his expression was somewhat a little distracted, the blurry fog in his gaze dispersed as if recalling the vague past: "Wouldn't it be a thousand years ago .... I only have some faint impression. You have been raised by humans since childhood. Otherwise, why would such an innately skilled being sacrifice its life for mortals?"
　　
　　"What is 'innate' and what is 'developed', it has been gone since long time ago," Xuan Ji said vaguely, seeming to acquiesce to the words "been raised by humans", and then asked, "You…just said 'mortals', and a moment ago you said said 'you demon race'. So you are...……"

　　When he said this, his voice broke, and he took a few breaths with exhaustion. Then continued speaking with difficulty: "What are you? A G.o.d?"
　　
　　"Where on this earth do G.o.ds exist? The G.o.ds are merely whom humans put their hopes onto." Sheng Lingyuan paused, and after a while, he whispered, "Me? I am probably a human delusion…oh, it's been too long, I don't remember."
　　
　　Xuan Ji had no strength, his voice was very low, as if talking in one's sleep. Sheng Lingyuan's voice was neither soft nor urgent. The two talked until the last minute before the "turn of midnight", but it seemed extraordinarily calm.
　　

　　In comparison with Xiao Zheng, it was more thrilling over there.
　　
　　The live broadcasted "backpackers" who illegally broke into the great valley of Chiyuan were on their way to a find a resettlement point.

　　Bi Chun Sheng and little Li of the local branch were in charge of taking care of them.

　　The driver was driving steadily. Little Li was sleepy on the front pa.s.senger seat and his eyes weren't open when he received the phone call.

　　The wounded people were asleep in the backseat, and big sister Bi Chun Sheng was quietly knitting wool beside them. Little Li rubbed his face hard and looked at the caller ID with sleepy eyes: "h.e.l.lo, Captain Zhang, I am hurriedly going to send them to the resettlement point, right now ..."
　　
　　The colleague on the phone interrupted him: "Little Li, listen quietly to what I'll say."
　　
　　Little Li listened to a few words and his whole person quivered. At this time, a pair of cars with them pa.s.sed by. The lights swept over, and the young field intern on the phone call glanced at the rearview mirror.

　　His deadly pale eyes met with the car's head lights — the leader with a mustache in the backseat woke up sometime ago, a pair of black and white eyes were looking at him, and Bi Chun Sheng next to him was still unawarely knitting buckles on the wool.
　　
　　Little Li's cold sweat came down.
　　
　　The colleague on the phone lowered his voice: "Move ahead, don't give the game away, I have already informed the resettlement place. Our people are lying in ambush at the door. Don't panic, don't alert the enemy inadvertently."
　　
　　Little Li bit his tongue and tried to pretend that nothing happened: "Ah... all right, I got it, Captain Zhang."

　　But his voice was too tense, and in the end, the sound unexpectedly broke.
　　
　　Oh no.
　　
　　At this time, Bi Chun Sheng looked up at him with a puzzled look: "Little Li has a cold?"

　　Little Li who had just started working, on his first mission, was forced to share a car with a vicious suspect. His calf and stomach had begun to cramp, facing Bi Chun Sheng with a smiling face that looked worse than a crying one.
　　
　　"Hey, what did big sister say? When you get on the car, close the window. You didn't listen! Isn't it blowing? Don't listen to the old man's words, there's no money for it!" Bi Chun Sheng scolded him, "After sending these people, you can hurry back to rest — how far is it?"
　　
　　Little Li was distracted, secretly looking at Bi Chunsheng. He saw her quietly look up, and he shared a meaningful glance with her.

　　She sensed something was wrong!
　　
　　"Ah, right now!" Little Li cleared his throat, at the same time, he said to Captain Zhang on the phone, "There is another intersection, I can already see the building."
　　
　　Bi Chun Sheng's face was devoid of even a little clue, gathering the wool on the other hand while waking up those "backpackers": "Wake up, it's almost there."

　　As she spoke, she took out a box of wet tissues from her pocket like a worried old mother and gave a few of them a piece: "Wipe your face, wake up, don't catch a cold."
　　
　　At 10:52, the car slowly crossed the intersection and drove into the resettlement. Little Li anxiously looked at the door where the undercover field workers were nearby. The sweat on his palm made him almost unable to hold the phone.
　　
　　"Get off the car slowly," Bi Chun Sheng was the first one to stand up, firstly grabbing the female anchor with a broken leg who moved inconveniently and went out. "Let the wounded person go first, Little Li, help out, support her."

　　Little Li's muscles stretched to the extreme, biting his teeth tightly, and took the female anchor, pulling her out like a robber.
　　
　　"Hey," the female anchor with the broken leg was dragged by him and stumbled. "Be gentle! What are you doing!"

　　"Gently," Bi Chun Sheng's gaze was meaningfully shot from behind her reading gla.s.ses, saying to Little Li, "Don't panic."
　　
　　Then, she hurriedly rushed the other people out of the car, and it was unknown if intentionally or unintentionally, but she kept in the way of Mustache.

　　Little Li glimpsed from the corner of his eye and caught sight of the undercover people at the resettlement point beginning to approach this way.
　　
　　Bi Chun Sheng pushed the last person out of the car, and it seemed as if she have just found Mustache: "Hey, why are you still sitting there, come down quickly." As she said this, she jumped out of the car and seemed to give a place for the man.
　　
　　The field workers had already moved —
　　
　　In a split second, Mustache suddenly felt something, his face revealing an ominous glint. At the moment when Bi Chun Sheng jumped down, he grabbed the back of her neck and totally lifted up the skinny middle-aged woman, dragged her into the car, and firmly clasped her neck.
　　
　　"Don't come here!"

　　"Don't move!"
　　
　　Bi Chun Sheng's reading gla.s.ses was. .h.i.t and flew off, and she was forced to stand on her feet and raise her head. Mustache showed a sinister face, and sacrificial writings began to spread widely on his exposed neck and on his face. He picked up the whole body of Bi Chun Sheng and used her to block his head and neck, showing only one crazy eye.
　　
　　At 10:56, the two sides were deadlocked.
　　
　　"I'll choke her to death... choke her to death! You try…… try, try!" Mustache dragged Bi Chun Sheng and began to retreat into the car. Bi Chun Sheng struggled to open her mouth and  was about to say something. The little beard suddenly jerked her neck and choke her throat. Bi Chun Sheng's face abruptly reddened, and her two legs on the ground violently struggled. Mustache cruelly said, "I know what your special ability is, shut up."

　　"Sniper?"

　　"Negative, can't find the angle. The hostage is blocking him!"
　　
　　 Little Li hurriedly said: "Isn't it the 'mithril bullet' that automatically avoids ordinary people?"

　　"That female comrade from the logistics isn't an ordinary person, and the mithril bullets can't distinguish between them!"

*mithril : fictional silver metal from Tolkien's Lord of the Rings

　　10:56, 59 seconds...10:57.

　　The second hand moved forward every second, as if pressuring someone continuously.
　　
　　Fifty-seven minutes, ten seconds , fifty-seven minutes, twenty seconds —

　　"Director Xiao, the person in charge on the scene asks you, whether….." 　　

　　"What?" 　

　　"Whether… uh ... whether"
　　
　　Whether to decide to sacrifice an ordinary staff who retired to the second line as to interrupt the gloomy sacrifice.

　　At this time, the headquarters of the building of the Deviant Control Office was brightly lit, and in the conference room of the headquarters, all eyes were on the general dispatcher Xiao Zheng. Every person in charge of the local bureaus were waiting for his orders.

　　Everyone wanted him to work for the benefit of all but also wanted to have sympathy with the misfortune of their comrade.　　

　　10:58 and 50 seconds —
　　　　
　　"Director Xiao, there is one minute left!" 　

　　Xiao Zheng could not avoid it at last: "You..."
　　
　　At this moment, Bi Chun Sheng's struggling hands suddenly raised up two fingers and made a vague gesture towards the field worker on the scene.
　　
　　"Wait! Big sister Bi made a secret signal and said that the target has already fallen into a trap."
　　
　　Fifty-nine minutes and twenty seconds, the female anchor who had been hiding behind the field personnel in terror suddenly swayed twice, then fell to the ground. Soon, a few other "backpackers" were also like her, collapsing down one after another, falling unconscious.
　　
　　Little Li's eyes widened — the bag of wet wipes that Bi Chun Sheng handed them!
　　
　　Thirty seconds, Mustache also clearly stumbled a bit. Just then, the seemingly powerless Bi Chun Sheng suddenly curled up ruthlessly and slammed hard backwards.
　　
　　Mustache groaned in pain and grabbed Bi Chun Sheng's hair, and the two people wrestled in the cramped s.p.a.ce.

　　Forty-five seconds, Bi Chun Sheng hoa.r.s.ely shouted: "You have no strength!"
　　
　　With her voice, Mustache's hand was unconsciously loosened, and then he snorted, his facial features distorting to unlike a human's, and struggled like mad to grip Bi Chun Sheng's throat.
　　
　　Ten, nine, eight ……

　    There's not enough time!
　　
　　At this moment, the truck suddenly started. No one knew when but a field personnel had gone around the front of the truck and suddenly grabbed the wheel, his hands turning into a pair of bear paws. He let out a loud noise, he dragged a few heavy minibus on his own, shaking them violently.

　　Mustache who had already spent all his strength suddenly lost his balance. 　　

　　Five, four…

　　At the last minute, Mustache opened the door and struggled desperately.

　　With all his last strength, he lifted up Bi Chun Sheng!
　　
　　Two ...

　　Just then, a sweater needle flew out of thin air, ferociously p.r.i.c.king into the veins of Mustache. Mustache screamed.
　　
　　One!
　　
　　Bi Chun Sheng fell to the ground, rolled away, coughing so hard that she couldn't breathe — a shining mithril bullet was lodged in the s.p.a.ce between Mustaches' eyebrows.
　　
　　It was finally zi time*!

*11pm-1am

　　The mithril bullet exploded, and the whole body of Mustache was engulfed in a burning silvery light.
　　
　　For a time, everyone calmed down.
　　
　　Until a voice broke the dead silence of the headquarters of the Deviant Control Office.
　　
　　"Director Xiao, the child is alive, the vital signs are stable. He is ready to be sent to the cryogenic room for surgery."
　　
　　Xiao Zheng's whole body shook a bit.　　

　　Just in time !
　　
　　At the scene, Little Li knelt on the ground with a thud — his special ability always had been awfully weak physically and could only move some small objects in the air. Although he was a field worker, he could only do some a.s.sisting work in the local area.

　　This was the first time he had managed to attack someone in his life, and his entire body had already lost the strength.
　　
　　Bi Chun Sheng couldn't mange her breath yet, laying on the ground speechlessly, giving him a thumbs up at a distance.

　　Meanwhile, in the Red Lake Hospital, Xuan Ji who had no idea of time, felt that his chain gently moved.
　　
　　Finally turned to midnight? What's the situation now?
　　
　　At this moment, he suddenly heard a voice outside the door: "Director Xuan! We have successfully killed the caster!"

　　Xuan Ji stumbled: "Why haven't you left yet! Didn't I say don't get in the way?"
　　
　　Ping Qian Ru said blankly: "But you are here, where do you want me to go Director Xuan? Even old Luo is on stand by the under this building..."
　　
　　Xuan Ji: "You..."

　　At lightning speed, an idea suddenly flashed in his mind. Something was wrong.
　
　　But he failed to catch it — because at the next moment, he heard a chuckle.
　　
　　Xuan Ji's brain was too late to respond, but the man had already instinctively retreated to the corner.

　　In the white mist and the chains, that devil Sheng Lingyuan's bloodstained white robe was covered with sacrificial writings in an instant, and the density of the writings made him look like he was wearing a black cloak.

　　The iron rope tied to him was shaking and was difficult to control.
　　
　　Ping Qian Ru just struggled to poke her head in. When she saw this scene, she knelt on the ground in horror: "Wait a minute! How is he still here! Sacrifice... Isn't the sacrifice a failure?!"
　　
　　Sheng Lingyuan let out a low laugh, and then, the chains on his body swiftly collapsed. In a flash, powerful energy exploded from him, and the tiny ice that condensed in the mist became knives and slammed into all directions.
　　
　　The gla.s.s in the hospital building broke into pieces, and a huge black whirlpool rose from the air, sweeping away all the looming stars. Dark clouds covered the sky, lightning flashed and thunder rumbled.

　　Wherever one looked, all the street lamps seemed to be the candles that have been swept by the wind. A great wide expanse of silence descended. The hibernating birds in the great valley couldn't endure it and fled away frantically in the sky. A thin line of blood dripped down from the corner of Xuan Ji's mouth, his back pressed against the corner. He was no longer able to support it and knelt down on the ground.
　　
　　However, the expected attack from the numerous heart-piercing arrows didn't arrive.
　　
　　A hand caught his back, and he was covered with a dark wide sleeve. The frozen arrows brushed past him, leaving behind a chilling urge to kill.
　　
　　Then, a bizarre scent awoke his frozen sense of smell — completely out of touch with this situation, the smell was unexpectedly clean, warm, and luxurious.

　　Making the person reminisce of a snowy night, and a palace as warm as spring.
　　
　　"I truly..." Sheng Lingyuan brushed at his sleeves and shook off the ice on his hands, gently taking care of this little demon who had not grown up yet. With a sigh, he said, "..think highly of you, gentlemen."