Chapter 179

"..."

Broca observed her, realizing that the Sarkaz belonged to the Child of Earth and Stone lineage. She might be able to create stone, but she couldn't fly that high. Could it be that the masked man was the Demon King from Outside the Starry Sky?

"I don't speak Ursus language very well, please forgive me."

Chen broke the ice first, raising her hands to show she meant no harm, and asked:

"We came down after we saw the signal flare. Here, besides..."

"Besides the Patriot's guerrilla forces, there shouldn't be any other force with such strong weaponry, right?"

Upon Broca thought to himself, "Just as I thought," and immediately assumed a fighting stance.

He had spent countless Sleepless Night imagining how he would end his life.

Will he die in the battle against the unspeakable forces in the north, or at the hands of ordinary people? Or will he suddenly fall seriously ill and die in a dreary tent?

Regardless of the outcome, Broca wanted his death to be meaningful. He would rather be on the battlefield, giving his last breath, than lie in bed watching his life slip away.

Mudrock had heard of this legendary living figure more than once. Sensing the tense atmosphere, she immediately called out:

"Stop! We're here to find someone!"

Upon Broca a step forward:

"The person you're looking for is the one I want to take my life. So, show me what you've got."

Seeing that the other party had misunderstood, Mudrock Rock explained:

"It's a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding. We came here to find Talulah, the leader of the Rhodes Island."

"Talulah?"

Broca heard of this name before; recently, a group of infected individuals from out of town had been loitering near Lake Vega. He had instructed his men to deliberately avoid them and try to avoid direct contact.

But are they really not here to see me?

Broca intently at the masked man, who stood with his hands behind his back, remaining silent throughout. Bozocas had a hunch that this man was no less capable than himself.

Mudrock knew that a few words might not be enough to persuade the Patriot, so he turned to Chen for help:

"Officer Chen, why don't you take over?"

"Mr. Patriot, I am Chen, the head of the Special Inspectorate of the Lungmen Guard Department. According to the intelligence obtained by our company, the Rhodes Island broke through the blockade of the Ursus army a few days ago and arrived in the Lake Vega area, suspected of cooperating with your army. Those troops pursued them to the vicinity and then withdrew to a nearby city. They are currently gathering their forces and are expected to launch a general offensive on this area in four or five days."

Broca didn't care about any of that; the guerrillas would have to fight the Ursus army sooner or later anyway. He kept his eyes fixed on the masked Shi Lei, not daring to relax for a moment:

"I'm looking for you, the ones who can make decisions, to talk to me."

Even after revealing her identity, Chen still couldn't gain a voice, so she had no choice but to turn to Shi Lei for help.

"Mister Zhongli, please say something."

There are many strangers here, and they don't call Shi Lei by his real name, but rather he is referred to by his code name.

"Sir, we are indeed here to find someone. If you are joining forces, please let Talulah out and meet us. If not, we will leave immediately."

Meanwhile, FrostNova, who was searching for usable supplies in the abandoned city, saw the signal flare and rushed back to the valley. She pushed through the crowd and shouted:

"Dad, what happened?"

She had just come in through the valley tunnel and didn't see the rock fall.

FrostNova quickly spotted the four strangers in the center of the arena from everyone's gaze. Seeing everyone on high alert, she immediately assumed a fighting stance.

Chen looked at FrostNova, or more precisely, at the Snow Beast Squad members behind her. Beside one of them was her half-sister, Dolak.

Originally, it would have taken Talulah Shi Lei's appearance triggered a chain reaction, forcing Patriot to fire a signal flare. This led her to follow him to the camp under the pretext of being able to help.

At the same time, Talulah noticed Chen looking over and showed a surprised expression.

Wasn't she supposed to be in Lungmen? How did she end up here? Does Yan really have such a big problem?

Chen looked at Talulah, and the image of her gradually overlapped and merged with her memories. The words she wanted to say were stuck in her throat, and she couldn't utter them.

She walked up to him, her emotions a jumbled mess, like a spilled spice bottle. Staring at the face that was both familiar and unfamiliar, she finally spoke after a long pause:

"It's been a long time."

"Yes, it's been a long time."

Chen turned her head, looked at the large number of guerrilla members nearby, and suggested:

"How about we find somewhere else to talk?"

"Good."

Talulah did not refuse and left the scene with her.

But the chain reaction triggered by Shi Lei extends far beyond this one instance.

Ark Hanging Picture. jpg

242 Do you know how I've spent the last five years? (4K)

The guerrillas, watching the two dragon women about to leave, cast questioning glances at Patriot, indicating whether they should stop them.

Broca kept staring at Shi Lei, who was wearing Rock mask, without giving any instructions. Considering the current situation, this can be interpreted as tacitly allowing him to pass.

Apart from the Snow Beast Squad, the other guerrilla members all witnessed the rocks falling from the sky. The sudden stop upon landing and the instantaneous disappearance of the rocks Originium Arts made them acutely aware of just how terrifyingly powerful these people were.

It's like smoking next to a powder keg; the slightest misstep could ignite a violent conflict. They need to cool things down and avoid further friction. Heavy losses in this operation would not benefit them.

Shi Lei noticed Chen leaving and, intending to follow her, left the communication to his family.

"Mudrock, first explain to them the reason for our visit and the purpose of our trip. If they still..."

I feel disturbed; I'll discuss compensation later when I return.

"Leave it to me, sir. It just so happens that I'd also like to have a chat with this senior Wendigo."

Shi Lei nodded and followed. Exusiai looked around, figuring a fight was unlikely to break out. So she followed, hoping to find something interesting.

Chen and Talulah walked less than 100 meters south and stopped in front of a tent.

Then came silence.

Chen rarely showed such a reserved side; she opened her mouth but said nothing. She had rehearsed countless times before coming here, but when she actually saw Talulah, she didn't know what to say.

The deadlock wasn't broken until two minutes later:

"I... have been looking for you for a long time. Ever since I learned that you killed Duke Koschei and escaped, I have been keeping track of your situation in Ursus."

Talulah had never imagined that her half-sister would travel such a long way to find her. Her expression and tone were utterly indifferent, devoid of any warmth.

"So what? You came all this way just to catch up with me, didn't you?"

Upon hearing this, Chen's expression froze. She stared at the face that overlapped with her memory as if looking at a stranger, and after a moment spoke:

I want to take you back.

"Go back? Ha, go back where? To Lungmen?"

Talulah has been through so much over the years and is no longer the little girl Chen remembers.

Although that old Koschei particularly enjoyed instilling wrong ideas in her, the fact that Wei Yenwu murdered her father, Edward Atreus, is undeniable.

She didn't intend to tell her foolish younger sister the real reason she wasn't going back to Lungmen. Besides, their fathers were different, so there would be no point in telling her anyway.

"Yes, you can follow me to Lungmen."

Seeing Chen's determined gaze, Talulah knew it wouldn't be easy to get her to give up. Without revealing the truth, she devised a plausible excuse:

"Chen, have you ever heard this song? 'We have Originium growing on our bodies, and we hold only a few weapons in our hands. Snow melts in our mouths as water, and our bellies are full of grass seeds and tree bark.' You might be wondering why I'm singing. To be honest, I recently learned it."

At this point, Talulah lifted a corner of her clothes, revealing the Originium crystal on her side, and explained:

"The people I lead are all infected people with nowhere to go. They are making their best efforts to fight for their rightful rights. Chen, we are no longer from the same world. Go back by yourself, don't worry about me."

Chen already knew the other person was infected, so she remained unmoved and continued to persuade him:

"So what if they're infected? Does that mean they don't deserve to be called human? Lungmen is an inclusive city that can accommodate many infected people. We've recently been renovating the Lower City to provide more job opportunities and basic infrastructure for infected people. I know this is far from enough, but at least we've taken the first step."

Talulah, come back with me. At least you can go see Lungmen. The treatment of the infected there isn't as cruel as in other countries.

Unfortunately, Chen's sincere invitation failed to sway Talulah. She had long since lost interest in the rosy picture painted on her face and said:

"If returning to Lungmen is just to enjoy a comfortable life, then I can live a good life as long as I don't kill Koschei. What's the difference? Chen, I left Lungmen in 1077, and it's been 18 years now."

"18 years!"

Talulah her voice, her emotions rising accordingly:

Do you know how I've spent the last 18 years? Do you know?

"..."

Chen lowered her head slightly, unable to refute the statement. She still wanted to bring Talulah back to Lungmen, but now that thought was beginning to waver:

"It seems neither of us can convince the other."

"Yes."

Talulah caught sight of a man and Sarkaz woman wearing Rock mask in the distance and proposed a plan:

"Chen, how about this? Since neither of us can convince the other, let's have a contest. I also want to see how much you've improved over the years. If I win, you'll go back obediently and never mention this matter again. If you win, I'll go with you."

Upon hearing this, Chen unconsciously glanced back at Shi Lei before quickly looking away.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course, it's fine if you go alone or if all three of you go together, I don't mind."

Talulah may seem arrogant, but she has the right to be. Her Originium Arts are related to fire, and after so many years of training, she has reached the pinnacle of skill.

The solar corona can inflict a burning effect on enemies within a certain range, and can also unleash a rain of lava fireballs comparable to ocean waves. Under the continuous onslaught of fireballs, there is little difference between attacking one enemy and attacking a group.

Talulah used these two tactics to repeatedly break through the Ursus Army Group's defenses. No matter how many enemy troops there were, she could breach their lines with a barrage of fireballs.

Shi Lei's mission this time was to bring Talulah Lungmen. Hearing the challenge, he stepped forward and asked:

"How about I lead the charge?"

Chen looked over at the sound, her expression strange.

You call this "leading the charge"?

Exusiai even covered her mouth with her hand, wanting to laugh but not daring to laugh out loud, making it look like a mocking smile:

"No, no, no, you're driving!"

"We've been working for so long, let's take a break. Let me lead the charge."

Shi Lei didn't need to sleep; he locked himself in a room while flying through the aerial Rock Observation Deck. This made it impossible for Exusiai to determine how long he had slept.

After speaking, she brandished the musket in her hand:

"I'll be using rubber bullets this time, no live ammunition. If I hit you between the eyebrows before I run out of two magazines, I win; otherwise, I lose."

"No problem."

Everyone in this land knows that Sarkaz is a natural-born marksman and should not be underestimated.

Talulah didn't hesitate. With a flick of her longsword, it was instantly engulfed in raging flames. Flames also erupted from her body, as if she were wearing a suit of fiery armor.

This large-scale movement naturally attracted the attention of many guerrilla members. They had not received orders from the Patriot to disband, and returned to their positions to maintain formation. They simply watched from a distance, whispering amongst themselves.

"Look over there! What's going on? Weren't they looking for the tower or something? Why are they fighting?"

"That woman's name is Talulah. She's the leader of the Rhodes Island and is infected just like us. I don't know Sarkaz. He's probably not infected."

"I see. Then I still hope the Infected can win. At least let Patriot see her strength, and maybe we can merge into one team in the future."

"Tsk, how old are you anyway? Are you already so eager to find a girlfriend?"

"What? Don't talk nonsense. Our team hasn't recruited anyone in a long time. It's like every one we lose is one less member. Isn't it a good thing to have fresh blood injected?"

As the two were discussing, the battle began.