I'm Afraid My Father Will Kill You

When he returned to the Fifth District garrison, You Li found that the ground beneath his feet, which should have felt familiar, had somehow become strange.

He did not know where that feeling came from. Although, as the captain of the Devil Squad, he rarely returned to the garrison and spent most of his time in the Contaminated Land directing operations, he did come back occasionally. Yet he had never felt this way on any previous visit.

And now, when he could finally remove his mask and breathe fresh air, he discovered that the air was filled with an unfamiliar, viscous scent, as though it were mixed with blood.

It was an awful feeling.

"You've worked hard, Captain You Li." Huo Ge Ni removed his mask as well, standing beside You Li with a faintly mocking smile. "You and your men can finally get some proper rest and relax..."

"Can we really rest properly?" You Li turned around and looked at the large chunks of contaminated flesh behind him. "With those things here, I find it hard to relax."

"Don't worry." Huo Ge Ni shrugged. "We'll take care of it tonight."

"Tonight?" You Li frowned slightly and looked at Huo Ge Ni again. "You?"

"Yes, Captain You Li." Huo Ge Ni said, "Your mission is complete. Leave the rest to us."

"What are you planning to do?" You Li became wary.

"Heh, you know. Naturally, we're taking those two things away." Huo Ge Ni smiled. "Transferring them overnight."

"...Is there really any need to be in such a hurry?"

"Of course." Huo Ge Ni said, "You should know that Bishop Ao Li Wei has returned. He needs those two things, and tomorrow, he will give the people of Lyra a new answer."

"What answer?"

"Naturally..." Huo Ge Ni smiled. "A brand-new future."

You Li's frown deepened.

He did not know whether Huo Ge Ni was deliberately speaking in riddles, or whether Lyra had truly changed too much during this period while he knew nothing, leaving him unable to understand.

But either way, the feeling left him deeply uneasy.

You Li wanted to demand a clear explanation from Huo Ge Ni, but he also knew he had no right to do so.

Because the Devil Squad was not the Evening Star Corps. After that incident ten years ago, the Evening Star Corps had been dissolved, and the Devil Squad had been established.

The two generations of Pioneer Force differed not only in name, but also in status. The Evening Star Corps of the past could directly participate in Lyra's affairs, but the current Devil Squad could only specialize in the Contamination Zone. They were forbidden from interfering in Lyra's decisions. Even the Fifth District had been separately divided out, and Devil Knights could not leave the Fifth District without approval.

They had even added things like Emergency Devices to their necks, all to prevent the Devil Squad from one day losing control like the Evening Star Corps had ten years ago.

The feeling of sacrificing themselves for Lyra while being guarded against by all of Lyra had always hung over every Devil Knight's heart.

That was why so many Devil Knights tried every possible way to leave this place.

That so-called New Pursuit Society, and the man called Yong Xin, were one such way.

...His thoughts had wandered too far.

You Li snapped out of his daze and realized his thoughts had become overly scattered. He drew back his attention and looked at Huo Ge Ni again.

"Is there anything else you need us to do?" You Li asked.

"Just as I said, you only need to rest properly with your team." Huo Ge Ni was still smiling. "Leave everything else to us. We'll dispose of those contaminated remains as well."

You Li nodded.

Naturally, he understood what Huo Ge Ni meant.

This was not literally telling them to rest. It was telling them to leave for the time being.

They did not want the Devil Squad to know what Huo Ge Ni was about to do, nor did they want them to know when they would depart.

That way, their movements would become a "secret."

And they could transport those two things back with the utmost secrecy.

Although he had guessed Huo Ge Ni's intentions, You Li still did not understand.

They had already returned to Lyra. Even if they did not trust the Devil Squad, what about the Skeleton Corps?

Could they not simply have the Skeleton Corps escort them?

Lyra was not some chaotic place, and the other side was only one person. Was there truly a need to be this cautious?

And besides...

You Li narrowed his eyes and looked again at the people behind Huo Ge Ni.

Even now, those people had not removed their masks. They remained fully armed.

Logically, Lyra only had two armed forces: the Devil Squad, responsible for external matters—namely, the Contaminated Land—and the Skeleton Corps, responsible for internal matters.

The people Huo Ge Ni had brought were clearly not from the Skeleton Corps. Then who were they?

If they belonged to Bishop Ao Li Wei, why would Bishop Ao Li Wei establish a new armed force? In name, both the Skeleton Corps and Devil Squad were supposed to follow his orders.

Could this be part of the "brand-new future" Bishop Ao Li Wei had spoken of?

He had only been gone for a few months, yet Lyra had suddenly become impossible to understand.

You Li was silent for a while. In the end, he did not voice any opinion on the matter and merely said to Huo Ge Ni, "Make sure you handle it properly. Don't let those things leak out."

Naturally, he meant the contaminated remains.

The chunks of corpse and the Purification Source Crystal had nothing to do with him, but the contaminated remains still fell under his responsibility. You Li decided to do his duty properly.

"Of course." Huo Ge Ni clearly understood what You Li meant and replied with a smile, "Rest assured, we'll clean it all up. We won't make things difficult for you, Captain You Li. Thank you for your cooperation."

You Li said nothing further and turned to leave.

Of course, he did not do nothing. Outside Huo Ge Ni's sight, he summoned several Devil Knights on guard duty and had them watch the perimeter.

Regardless of what Huo Ge Ni intended to do, they absolutely could not allow the contaminants to leak out. The moment they saw any sign of it, they were to sound the alarm immediately.

Only after several Devil Knights agreed could You Li leave with peace of mind.

After crossing several streets, You Li's expression gradually relaxed, and the brows that had been tightly furrowed for months slowly eased.

But his pace quickened.

Because the rows of low houses at the end of the street had already come into view.

The Fifth District, where the Devil Squad was stationed, was not a military fortress.

Just as its name suggested, it was merely a district.

Ten years ago, it had also housed many ordinary residents. Only after the Evening Star incident ten years ago did the residents of the Fifth District gradually leave, leaving behind only the newly established Devil Squad and their families.

In a sense, the Fifth District was the former Rim Station, the heroic village of the Evening Star Corps.

Only, it had long since lost its heroic reputation and had become something people feared and avoided.

Although it still provided housing and all basic necessities for Devil Knights and their families, no one had considered it a normal district for a long time.

Very few Devil Knights were willing to bring their families here to live.

Out of perhaps ten Devil Knights, only one or two would do so, which left the family district of the Fifth District sparsely populated.

But as captain, You Li had still brought his wife and daughter here.

Though his work kept him busy and he rarely saw his wife and daughter, this was still the place he valued most.

His wife felt the same. Though she knew he seldom came home, she still lit a lamp outside their door every night, only so it could illuminate his way home in the dark.

And now, You Li saw that lamp. His heart, hard as steel, softened in an instant, and he was just about to quicken his pace.

But he suddenly recalled his conversation with Huo Ge Ni. He could not help stopping, turning his head, and looking toward the other side.

Not far away, a tower that did not rival the Tower of Babel but was still equally imposing stood beneath the moonlight.

It was the Fifth District's branch tower.

Its overseer was Bishop Wei Sen of the Fifth District.

And Bishop Wei Sen had likewise not appeared in ten years.

What exactly had happened?

And what exactly was the "brand-new future" that the returned Bishop Ao Li Wei had spoken of?

You Li had been warning himself not to worry about matters beyond his duties, but now, standing before the lamp that happened to illuminate the road beneath his feet, he found it difficult to convince himself not to think about them.

Just then, footsteps suddenly sounded behind him.

You Li raised his brows but did not turn around. He merely asked calmly, "Have you been waiting for me this whole time, Ina?"

A tall woman emerged from the darkness. It was Ina.

"Yes, You Li." Ina gave a slight nod.

"It's been a few days since we last met. By rights, I should greet you properly."

You Li slowly turned around and looked at Ina standing behind him. Then his gaze traveled upward from below, finally landing on the Blazing Fire Sword at her waist.

Even though the sword remained in its sheath, he could faintly see the heat and firelight it gave off.

You Li knew that sword had already been ignited.

"What exactly happened?" You Li asked calmly. "We haven't seen each other for a few days, and you're already standing against me?"

"A lot has happened, You Li." Ina said softly. "I originally wanted to have a proper talk with you, but... there isn't time."

"...No time again? I feel like everyone has been reminding me about time these past few days." You Li tapped the Emergency Device around his neck, which had already stopped operating. "It's as if someone put one of these things in my head too, yet none of you are willing to tell me what exactly happened."

"I'm sorry, You Li."

"...Can I take that to mean you have already taken your father's side?"

Ina did not deny it. "Yes."

"...Then some people were right to worry about your father." You Li said. "It seems he has gathered quite a lot of people."

"No." Ina said. "There's only me."

You Li looked into Ina's eyes again. He wanted to see whether she had been influenced or controlled.

But she had not. Ina's eyes were as they had always been, just as when she faced the contaminants.

She had not been contaminated.

You Li sighed. "You should at least tell me what this is all about."

"It's complicated." Ina said. "But it can also be summarized simply—you brought back something from the Contaminated Land that should never have been brought back."

So it really was because of that?

There was not much turbulence in You Li's heart. He merely said slowly, "Since you are here, that means your father has already arrived too, right?"

He looked around but did not sense anyone else nearby.

"Looks like your father has already gone over there." You Li said. "Leaving aside whether he can succeed, you came here... to stop me? By using my family?"

"No." Ina said. "I only came to stop you, and..."

She paused.

"A lot of things will happen tonight. I don't want your family to be hurt."

"So you came to protect my family after all?" You Li said with a smile. "That really does sound like you, Ina."

"Don't move, You Li." Ina stared intently at You Li's hand and said seriously, "I know your swordsmanship, so I overheated my sword beforehand. If you make a move... I don't want An Qi to lose her father."

An Qi was You Li's daughter.

"So you expect me to just watch?"

"Once tonight is over, I can tell you everything." Ina said. "But not now. I don't have that much time, and you wouldn't believe me anyway."

"Is that so?" You Li nodded slightly, as though he understood. Then, as if he had suddenly thought of something, he looked into Ina's eyes and said, "Come to think of it, a few days ago, I encountered a... hm, ghost? In the Abyss Land. I wanted to ask whether you knew him."

"Don't try to distract me." Ina said coldly. "When facing you, I'll remain completely focused."

"I really do want to know, because I promised him some things." You Li said. "He wore an Evening Star Corps uniform. He said he had forgotten many things, even Lyra itself. Yet there was one vague thing he still remembered."

He paused, then looked into Ina's eyes and spoke softly.

"He said he owed something to a woman. That thing was... a Music Box."

Ina's pupils contracted slightly.

In an instant.

Two swords left their sheaths at the same time, one red and one black.

Blazing fire burned along the red blade, as if it would cut apart the silent night, while the black blade hid within the darkness. When it swung, no sword shadow could be seen—only the shrill whistle of air being torn apart.

Clang!

Red and black tore into each other. Empowered by its extreme heat, the red blade nearly snapped the black blade in two.

But the black sword endured it, borrowing the crimson flames on the red blade to heat itself as well.

The two quickly retreated, but now they stood on equal footing.

"So you really do know that person." You Li said.

"Yes." Ina did not deny it. "Many years ago, I called him uncle."

"Then that woman?"

"His wife."

"How is she?"

"She went mad."

You Li fell silent, then slowly said, "He was a hero. I saw it with my own eyes."

Ina looked somewhat surprised.

"Move aside, Ina." You Li said. "I promise you, I will not hurt your father, and I will do everything I can to bring the truth to light."

Ina shook her head. "I'm not afraid that you'll hurt my father."

"Then what are you afraid of?"

"I'm afraid my father might accidentally kill you."

You Li froze.

The next second, a piercing scream rang out across the sky.