EP.1 · [Last Night on Earth · Earth's Last Night]
Foreword:
I'm not grown up yet; I'm still a long way from becoming a gloomy adult.
[--Ye Bei]
[Part 1: Proficiency in the Business]
"Haven't I already said that once?"
Wood Plark turned his head, pushing the food cart, and asked Jiang Xueming behind him with a puzzled look.
"Why are you asking this? Am I square-shaped with sharp angles? Do I have a repeat switch?"
Jiang Xueming's palms began to sweat, and he guessed this—
Perhaps the physical wounds sustained during the trip to Niflheim have not yet healed, hence this restless and uneasy feeling.
But is it really not there?
Regarding what Mr. Wood just said—that "teachers are engineers of the human soul"—did he really never say this to me?
Really, really, really not?!
Why do I have such a strong sense of déjà vu when I hear this sentence?
It was as if nails had been driven into his soul; he could sense everything from Mr. Wood's tone of voice and his body language—what was about to happen! It was as if he had a premonition!
This has already happened!
Xue Ming was absolutely certain, and following Wood's movements, he recited the words one by one.
"Teacher, there's nothing else in the drawer compartment of the food cart."
Wood was about to bend over to check when he suddenly froze halfway. Judging from his bent-over posture, a button on the flight attendant's uniform had popped off by her strong muscles.
"Oh ho! Oh ho! Gunsmith! When did you become so understanding? You can even read my mind!"
Xue Ming was extremely nervous, his mind picking up more clues that seemed to have appeared out of thin air, with no scientific basis whatsoever.
"Look over here, passengers in the second row! He'll yell at you! And then..."
It happened in the blink of an eye.
"Hey! You weirdo over there! Why are you dressed as a flight attendant?! What are you thinking?"
When the passenger saw the Browning pistol in Xue Ming's hand, he was so surprised that he couldn't speak. As if he had thought of something extremely terrifying, he suddenly screamed.
"Shut up!" Wood pretended to be fierce and vicious, pushing the food cart forward. His large, perfume-scented hand shoved the passenger back into his seat, and then kicked Xue Ming with his high heel, trying to snap Xue Ming out of it.
Jiang Xueming steeled himself, his eyes unfocused.
He didn't know where this deadly sense of crisis came from.
Perhaps the cacophony of the fire alarm quickly plunged him into a state of neurasthenia, or perhaps there truly was an enemy lurking somewhere, even more terrifying than the Madness Butterfly Sect.
But at this moment, he had no time to think further.
--He put on airs, brandishing a gun and shouting.
"Sit still, everyone! I'm hijacking this plane! Hand over your watches, bank cards, cash, and jewelry to this sweetheart in front of me! Men and women alike! Put your hands up! Place them on the head of the person next to you! Let me see your hands, don't try anything funny! This gun is real! It really fires! It really can kill!"
"Thank you for the compliment." Teacher Wood then pulled the trigger on the [Sexy Bomb].
"Bang--"
A cluster of fragmented zinc bullets exploded from Xue Ming's raised pistol; the M1900 still had six rounds of ammunition remaining.
The gunshots silenced the passengers, with few screams or curses, because Xue Ming looked too terrifying and Wood looked too strange.
They're like performance artists broadcast on social media platforms like Twitter, blogs, and Instagram, like a pair of crazy gay people. Nobody dares to mess with these lunatics.
Robbers risk their lives and break the law for money or various other benefits.
However, this kind of kidnapper, with his bizarre makeup, unusual behavior, and bared teeth and bulging veins when robbing travelers, treating his hostages almost like enemies, is a rare and extremely vicious individual.
As the dining cart moved down the aisle, the passengers in the first and second rows obediently followed Xue Ming's instructions, pairing up to retrieve each other's wallets and jewelry.
Xue Ming finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Everything seemed to be going according to plan, and the strange restlessness in my heart gradually subsided.
He simply kept repeating mechanical commands.
"Starting with the two passengers sitting on either side of the window, do not search your luggage."
"Speak loudly and ask your friends where the valuable item is! Then take it and pass it on!"
"Give these items to the passenger closest to the aisle, then another passenger will search you. Remember, don't lie, don't hide anything. Write your bank card PIN on the card. If you don't have a pen, there's a vomit bag on your right side, and a feedback form for customer service. The feedback form is like a memo to the waiter in a hotel. There's a pencil in the insert, with red and blue ends. Use red for negative feedback and blue for requests. Use whichever color you like. Just write down your PIN. As for what happens next, I don't know. If you're fast enough, you might be able to get to the bank before me to report your account lost and freeze your assets. I'm warning you, there's no signal on the plane. This is over the Arctic Ocean. Trying to use your mobile banking to contact customer service is wishful thinking. Don't waste your time."
"If someone thinks they're very clever and tries to scheme, I'll be honest with them—"
Jiang Xueming's gunman swept across the cabin, and the passengers immediately lowered their heads and raised their hands.
"--I only have six bullets left in my pistol. I can only kill six people. Who will be lucky enough to be one of them? The plane lands in Vladivostok. Who will make the newspapers? Who will die in the ambulance?"
As Wood sorted through the jewelry and cash, licking the personal items with his tongue, he Xue Ming.
"Where did you learn all these tricks?"
Jiang Xueming said softly, "I don't know. I just instinctively feel that this method will be more efficient."
"You're a criminal genius. If you go to Snow City and find a good lawyer, these passengers might all become accomplices in your robbery—after all, they were the ones who searched the place and delivered the loot to you."
The passengers in the first two rows handed over their valuables and jewelry, and the cart continued moving forward.
Jiang Xueming immediately followed behind Wood and kicked the food cart counter.
"I will continue moving forward, passengers. Please look after each other. I may not be able to keep an eye on everyone while I move forward, so please remain quiet. If I hear any strange conversations, I will turn around and shoot in that direction—even if you are secretly conspiring with sign language to do something bad in my blind spot, I can still detect it through the surveillance cameras on the plane."
Xue Ming raised his phone, and the monitor view inside the cabin immediately appeared on the screen.
"It's crystal clear."
Wood Plark was impressed with the young man.
--The video footage on your phone is not from the camera's perspective, but rather from the phone's built-in recording function.
This very simple trick was able to break down the passengers' psychological defenses. When they heard Xue Ming's clear and logical speech, almost everyone thought that the robbery would soon be over.
They were able to disembark safely, perhaps only paying the price of some cash and jewelry. After communication networks were restored, they might even be able to keep the savings in their bank accounts.
Upon reaching the third row, Wood had a rather helpless conversation with a female passenger.
"Visa only? No, no, no credit card. Will WeChat Pay work? No, no, no, there's no internet here."
The little girl excitedly said, "Can I join you? I really don't have any cash! I can't let you come all this way for nothing! How about I work for you for free? Consider it you're robbing me, okay?"
Jiang Xueming became alert. "Teacher Wood!"
"No," Wood Plark kissed the girl's hand, unable to detect any pheromones characteristic of the Madness Butterfly Sect: "She's just a bit crazy, not an enemy."
At that moment, another passenger in the third row began to tremble and finally awoke from his daze—
"--Money! The money's here! The money's here!"
This passenger, Benjamin, is from District 38 of the underworld. He's a low-level member of the Crowmen gang and Columbia. He's flying to Vladivostok to transfer to a flight to Las Vegas for a vacation.
Benjamin handed over his gold watch, cell phone, the stolen HC card, and the Universal Elixir, surrendering almost immediately.
At such close range, he could sense the powerful spiritual pressure emanating from the two robbers.
--Of these two robbers, one is a phenomenological butterfly, and the other is a ruthless individual about to emerge from his cocoon.
These two important figures were definitely not people Benjamin could afford to offend.
"Follow the rules!" Jiang Xueming shouted sternly, "Sit down! Sit back down! It's not your turn yet!"
Wood: "Did you hear that?! Are you deaf or stupid? Follow our rules! Sit back down!"
Benjamin was terrified; his Madness Index was skyrocketing. If he had no Inspiration, he wouldn't feel the guilt of having done something wrong. These manic emotions were almost driving him to his death.
The moment Mr. Wood took the gold watch, he smelled a strong pheromone from the cold metal.
"Get the work done first, then talk business."
He moved close to Xue Ming, immediately straightened the gun, and pointed it at Benjamin's head.
"No! No no no! No no no no no!" Benjamin hadn't finished speaking.
The scorching bullet fragments split his head into four pieces, with bone fragments and the bullet ricocheting inside the capsule. This scene terrified the little girl behind them, causing her to faint.
Panic and screams are spreading--
But Mr. Wood wasn't nervous at all.
"One target eliminated, relax, Gunsmith. Once we find the rest, it's over."
Jiang Xueming took a deep breath. The muzzle of Browning's gun still had traces of smoke. He was surprised by Professor Wood's decisiveness and ruthlessness.
Almost the instant he recognized the enemy's true identity, Mr. Wood didn't hesitate to kill him, seeing the pleading expression on the enemy's face.
There was no torture or interrogation, and no opportunity for compromise or concession.
Previously, Xue Ming naively believed that he might be able to extract some useful information from these prisoners, such as how his whereabouts on this trip were Jiang Xueming, who was secretly spying on him, and how many accomplices they had.
These problems vanished in the sound of gunfire, killing off all unrealistic fantasies.
They continued forward until they reached the sixth row.
"Fuyanni! Fuyanni!" Billy the Kid tugged at Fuyanni's arm, looking panicked at the approaching food cart.
Fuyanni grew increasingly nervous, yet he couldn't help but put the snacks in his mouth. "They definitely know. They definitely know our true identities! They're here! These two guys aren't here for the money! They want us dead!"
Right now, at this very moment.
Crumbs of wafer fell into Fuyanni's trachea, and he began to cough violently.
"--Cough! Cough cough! Cough cough cough! Ugh!~"
Billy the Kid was almost in despair. He and Fuyanni were both newcomers to the Little Brotherhood, acting as lookouts for the two magpies in the church. Their usual job was carrying luggage and booking hotels; they had never seen anything like this before.
"I want to live! I want to live! I can't wait to die, I won't wait to die!" Billy the Kid's eyes instantly filled with bloodshot veins. He hardened his heart, immediately tore open his clothes, snapped the stitches in his abdomen, and pulled a pocket pistol from the wound. It had a barrel of only 3.8 inches.
Blood gushed from Billy the Kid's belly. He was delirious and raised his gun to fight back, but when he was on the verge of death, he showed an amazing will to survive!
He also had 500 grams of drugs hidden in his abdomen. These hallucinogenic substances entered his cardiovascular system and went straight to his brain in a short time.
"Die! Die! Die!"
He pulled the trigger hard, only to find that the HICAPA's sleeve was as solid as cast iron and wouldn't budge.
Jiang Xueming had already seized the enemy's weapon, and the moment Billy the Kid pulled the slide to chamber a round, his DNA stirred.
That was a sound he had heard countless times throughout his career: the clanging of metal, the compression and release of the recoil spring, and the desolate friction notes as the bullet slid into the chamber.
"Don't underestimate me!" Billy immediately summoned his spirit. "I've already transformed into a pupa! A spirit personally praised by the Cult Leader! Incredibly powerful! Incredibly destructive!"
In that instant!
A sudden flash of inspiration struck Xue Ming.
--The steel arms unleashed a barrage of punches, which, when they struck Billy the Kid's tangled tuft of silk, appeared to onlookers as if the air itself were bursting with intense heat.
Xue Ming's iron fist not only shattered Billy the Kid's soul, but also turned his body into soft, wet mud.
The chair was deformed by the impact of the steel fist, locking Fuyanni inside and rendering him immobile.
Billy's body lay slumped like a rag doll on the twisted chair, already dead, without uttering a single word.
Fuyanni was covered in blood and screamed in terror.
Xue Ming finally finished repairing the 3.8-inch HICAPA, checked the condition of the chamber and bolt, and finally handed it to Teacher Wood.
"This guy is covered in enemy blood—"
He pointed at Fuyanni.
"--Can you identify me, Mr. Wood?"
Wood bent down, took the wafer from Fuyanni's arms, and carefully sniffed the aroma.
"No saliva? Then let me take a closer look."
The poor Little Brotherhood trembled, finally wiping the blood from the corners of their eyes, tears welling up in their sockets.
These two people are demons!
He thought this to himself, but dared not show any change in his emotions.
Billy is dead! He can never come back to life!
In an instant, countless precious memories flashed through Fuyanni's mind.
Those were the wonderful days of robbing a convenience store, using the stolen money and ID to hitchhike to the Northern Territory to swing on swings, ski, see the snow, and eat cherry pancakes.
Those were days of mutual dependence, when they smeared each other with the pungent dung of monstrous beasts to fool the noses of the hounds and wolves, in order to avoid the Lapis Lazuli Guards.
That was much earlier, during high school, in a remote village in Uruguay. One teacher was in charge of over two hundred students. Two little guys held hands and made a pact to become the worst villain in the world, to make something of themselves, to attend each other's weddings, and to be together forever.
[Part 2: The Regret Pill]
Don't cry!
Fuyanni!
You absolutely mustn't cry! If this guy licks you, you'll die!
They will be blasted to smithereens by the guns in their hands and by the cruel and merciless spirits within them!
Almost instantly, Fuyanni hardened his heart, squeezed his pouch, pierced the pouch with the syringe of the sedative, inserted it into his thigh, and injected the entire syringe of medicine into his body!
He is still struggling to survive, trying to escape.
Billy cannot have died in vain! I, Fuyanni, will live on for Billy!
Keep living.
Wood covered his chin, tilted his head, and carefully observed the target in front of him.
"The blood on his face wouldn't be cleaned off anytime soon, and I couldn't tell his identity from his saliva or tears. He looked very calm, as if he were paralyzed with fear, and his pupils were dilated—there wasn't even any cold sweat. It was really strange."
Fuyanni's breathing became increasingly slow.
Wood: "The heart rate is dropping, it seems to be calming down?"
Jiang Xueming: "This guy was eating snacks just now, and he coughed a couple of times."
Wood: "Perhaps this little guy who pulled a gun out of his stomach was too nervous and mistakenly thought we had discovered his true identity?"
Jiang Xueming: "Where's this guy? What should we do?"
Wood: "Oh, he looks like he's going to die?"
Fuyanni had lost control of his body; he felt the blood flow in his thighs slowing down and becoming cold and numb.
The blood clotting symptoms caused large patches of purplish-red sores to appear on his calves. The moment his body temperature dropped and his blood clotted, it was as if he had been poisoned by a blood clotting toxin and was already in hell.
The cardiovascular system gradually stops functioning, followed by the capillaries in the lungs and respiratory tract, preventing any oxygen from reaching the brain.
He was almost unable to move. The sudden shock, the overdose of sedatives, and the drastic changes in his blood pressure—these bizarre and incredibly unlucky coincidences led him to kill himself.
"Dead." Wood Plark raised an eyebrow and made the sign of the cross, as if to say, "May God grant this innocent soul a safe journey to heaven."
Jiang Xueming hesitated for a moment, then asked one more question.
"Was he scared to death by us?"
Wood joked, "How about we perform an autopsy on him? Merciful Angel?"
Jiang Xueming waved his hand, letting it go. He ignored Teacher Wood's sarcasm, closed Fuyanni's eyes, and let the dead rest in peace.
When they robbed the entire economy class, the money they received was also very "economical".
Aside from these three corpses, there were no other gains, and no other enemies.
"Next, we'll do the same thing." Mr. Wood pushed the food cart toward first class, "All the way to the cockpit."
Jiang Xueming washed the blood off the gun and nodded blankly.
Wood: "What's wrong with you? Why do you seem so out of sorts?"
Jiang Xueming: "I don't know. I don't know, Professor Wood, I don't know. I feel like I've seen this scene somewhere before. I feel like these things have already happened. I'm very confused."
Wood: "It feels like déjà vu? Do you watch movies often? Like documentaries such as 'Air Disaster'?"
"No, it's not like in the movie, I..." Jiang Xueming froze immediately after saying this.
He reached out and pressed the switch for the isolation door in first class.
Before Wood Plark could stop him, the isolation door had already opened.
A strange man slowly walked under the fluorescent lights in the customer service department, and the shrill sound of the fire alarm fell silent, as if an invisible hand had cut off the electrical wiring of the alarm.
Mr. Wood's eyes glazed over for a moment.
Driven almost instinctively, Jiang Xueming unleashed a torrent of firepower at the man with all her might!
Time seemed to slow down at that moment.
Fragments from the Browning M1900 bullet struck the thick steel plate, creating dents. The muzzle flash illuminated the man's eyes, which were almost identical to Xue Ming's, so dark they seemed to absorb light.
As the gun barrel shifted, the plate twisted and deformed rapidly, bursting forth with intensely hot, golden-red flames. The dark, ethereal arm shattered the steel sheet, nearly punching Xue Ming right through!
"Ha!--"
Wood raised his gun and fired, only to find that the bullets had no effect on the creature's spirit!
The ethereal, godlike avatar unleashed a flurry of punches, emptying the bullets of the newly captured miniature pistol, all of which were blocked by the creature's spiritual power!
"Take this!" Wood hurled the gun at the ground as if it were a projectile, then snapped the detonator.
Broken gun parts scattered everywhere, turning into sharp aluminum blades that could cut through bone and flesh, but the enemy simply shifted and maneuvered the Xue Ming hanging from his arm to block the flames and blades.
--The intruder who punched Xue Ming through the chest was Sixty-Three.
"Who exactly are you?!" Wood quickly searched the list of Phantasmal Butterflies in the Little Brotherhood in his mind. With his intelligence network, he couldn't find such a ruthless and swift individual with such soul power. Like the Madness Butterfly Sect, their soul power is mostly broken and loose. It is rare to see such a complete soul, a powerful and strong humanoid spirit.
Before Sixty-Three could reply, Xue Ming, who was seriously injured, clung to the arm of the enemy's spirit and launched a desperate counterattack.
He gripped the steel plate tightly, his Steel Heart bursting forth with dazzling light, his spirit body unleashing astonishing work efficiency, the sheet metal transforming into a short combat dagger, which he then thrust fiercely at the enemy.
In such a confined space, Sixty-Three had nowhere to hide, yet instead of retreating, he advanced, pulling Xue Ming's crippled body in front of him.
With four arms intertwined to meet the attack, the knife seemed to have entered a complex web of mechanical axles, constantly changing shape under the alternating processing of the spirit and the flesh, and it was hard to say who it would end up in.
In just a brief moment, Xue Ming suddenly felt an immense force strike him.
Sixty-Three pushed him into the narrow opening of the dressing table, causing him to crash into the mirror and be lifted high.
They didn't say a word.
--It seems that as soon as they met, they started fighting, until one of them was killed.
More blood gushed from Xue Ming's chest cavity, flowing down the lens.
The silver-white steel arms gripped the enemy's spirit tightly.
--That spirit was like black, rotten iron, with a rough surface, countless pits, sand holes, and rust spots, yet it could unleash astonishing power.
Her strength was waning, and Xue Ming's vision was beginning to blur.
Just fifteen seconds --
--Just fifteen seconds.
Was I killed by the enemy?
Who is he? Why?
Mr. Plark. Plark!
Wood Plark!
Teacher Wood
Why didn't you come to help me?
Why are you just watching?
Xue Ming's head drooped, his eyelids growing heavier and heavier, and the fingers he had been fighting for the blade were suddenly snapped off by the enemy.
--That's true, it makes sense.
Mr. Wood, I'm afraid you can't be of much help.
I was so close to this guy, if I used my Soul Power attack, it would probably blow me up too.
The TIKI 3.8 miniature pistol just exploded next to this guy, but he used me as a human shield. Mr. Wood, you must have been worried about that, which is why you didn't dare to continue attacking.
I can't speak anymore. This beast shattered my right lung in the first round, along with my trachea, and now I can't make a sound.
If you can hear me, Mr. Wood.
Let me die with him! I'll use your [Sexy Bomb]!
"Wood."
Jiang Xueming took out Wood's cat head belt buckle from the inner pocket of the crew uniform. This was a personal accessory left by Teacher Wood, which might turn into a deadly bomb at this moment.
He was still hanging in mid-air, his Gate of Death held by the enemy, one hand desperately resisting, trying to wrest the cold blade from the enemy's arms, trying to pull the knife out of his body.
With his other hand, he held up the clasp of the portrait relief of the Ming De, trying to send it towards the enemy's skull and his own scarred chest.
Wood stood at the gate, unable to move an inch.
His soul power is extremely destructive; if an attack were launched rashly under these circumstances, it would be difficult to guarantee Xue Ming's safety.
Judging from the brief exchange just now, this enemy's fighting skills are almost unparalleled. Even if he attacks from behind, he might not gain the upper hand. He would probably end up like Xue Ming, with his intestines torn apart and his body turned into a piece of roasted meat skewered on his Soul Might Arm.
Wood was thinking quickly--
--Xue Ming lifted my belt buckle, was he trying to blow him and the enemy to smithereens?
That's a good suggestion; it's the safest approach. When dealing with such agile and ruthless criminals, one should be prepared to die a martyr's death.
But I can't bring myself to do it!
I can't use my killing move on you!
My heart won't allow me to do that!
In those few short hours, from getting to know you to fighting side by side, I finally realized that you are a hero who has returned victorious from Niflheim and cannot die in a place like this.
Many people are waiting for you. To the BOSS, you are probably more important than Red Mountain Stone, more important than its life-saving charm. If I kill you now, or flee in a sorry state, I will probably feel guilty for the rest of my life.
"You can stop bullets?! You can stop hard knives and fists! But can you stop water?"
Wood took the water tank from the coffee machine and splashed it at Sixty-Three.
Even if Sixty-Three tried to dodge and turned around again to use Xue Ming's body as a shield, his body would still be covered in water vapor and droplets.
"What's wrong?" Sixty-Three finally spoke, "What are you going to do?"
Wood: "If you don't want to die, put this little guy down."
Sixty-Three: "What would you do? Detonate this water? How powerful is it? How many tons of TNT? Are you planning to blow me and him to pieces?"
Wood tore open her skirt and top, almost exposing herself to the enemy, leaving only her boxer shorts.
"I have no other weapons on me, you old beast. I'm willing to make a deal with you using the Red Mountain Stone. Your target is definitely this stone, isn't it? I want him to live. As for Ming De's life-saving talisman, it's yours—if he dies, you'll be buried with him."
Sixty-Three, expressionless, responded.
"Wood Plark, you must be plotting some dirty trick. I don't believe you, and I think you think so too—the people of the Madness Butterfly Sect are not trustworthy. You're so nervous, even asking me for a deal, you must be very concerned about this kid in my hands, right?"
Before Wood could reply, Sixty-Three continued, "He's so lucky! So many people take care of him, so many people help him, so many people surround him. He's the luckiest and happiest person in the world."
Xue Ming's arm fell limply to his side as the blade finally pierced his heart completely, followed by a brutal slashing that tore open his heart valves.
Wood's eyes widened in fury. "You want to die?!"
"If you could do that, you probably would have blown me and this kid to smithereens by now." Sixty-Three tilted his head, observing Xue Ming's bleeding condition. "How long does it take to kill someone? Judging from the amount of bleeding, the Universal Elixir should only have two minutes and thirty-one seconds left to heal him. During that time, his brain will rapidly die from oxygen deprivation—while you only need 0.3 seconds to pull the trigger on the [Sexy Bomb]. Anyone can talk tough, but very few can actually do it."
Wood: "I will absolutely kill you!"
Sixty-Three: "Show me all the time bombs you've been hiding."
"[Sexy Bomb]!" Wood Plark shouted Soul Might's true name and pressed the final detonation switch.
The clothes and skirts that had just fallen beside the curtain in the connecting passageway between the customer service rooms burst into fierce flames!
At the same time, the narrow walls of the customer service room were completely engulfed by flames, followed by the shattering of the mirror. Water droplets fell from Xue Ming's body to the floor, and under the explosive power of the Sexy Bomb, a crater as high as a person was blasted out.
Sixty-Three's body suddenly felt light, and he fell downwards due to natural gravity. A crater vacuum was blasted out of his feet, and outside was a gale with winds of more than 600 kilometers per hour.
Wood's eyes were filled with terror, for he could not see any change in the enemy's expression.
From the moment the explosion began until he fell into the deep pit, this guy showed no sign of surprise.
It's as if all the "surprises" have become "commonplace".
Just as Wood Plark had planned, Sixty-Three, carrying Xue Ming, was pulled out of the plane by the powerful air pressure difference, and was thrown nearly a hundred meters away in an instant. Wood followed closely behind, took out Mingde's remains and the Universal Elixir from his baggage, and chased after them!
Two tiny black dots fell naturally downwards from an altitude of 10,000 meters.
The vast white ice field and the pitch-black sea seemed so distant, like a dream.
Wood Plack's the Unworthy Work burst into flames, burning horrific scars on his left hand. Yet, he tore open these scars, using blood as an explosive medium to propel himself forward towards the enemy time and time again.
The powerful airflow nearly washed away all the moisture from Wood's eyes, yet he kept them wide open, trying to approach the dangerous enemy.
The guy was resting with his eyes closed, seemingly waiting for me.
If I can rescue Jiang Xueming, there might still be a chance for survival. With my soul power, I can make an emergency landing and survive in the freezing Arctic.
But this enemy—
--Is he really insane?
In this environment, he had no parachute. Unless his soul power could carry him into the air, there was absolutely no chance of survival! Even falling into the sea would mean certain death!
Wood's eyes widened, and he felt his body freeze. The steel rod in his hand was aimed straight at Sixty-Three's forehead, but he could no longer move.
Everything seemed to quiet down.
The moon hangs in the far distance on the horizon, and the passenger plane seems frozen in this scene.
The stars in the sky no longer moved, everything died, and nothing changed.
Immediately afterwards, the distant moon began to distort and deform, gradually changing from a warm pale yellow to a cold metallic silver-gray, eventually taking the shape of a coin.
The coin flew away--
--It fell into the vending machine.
Wood picked up the Coke, and with a flick of his Thumb, he pressed the detonator. The alloy bottle cap popped into the air with a "pop." Finally, he handed the Coke to Xue Ming.
"Go on, drink when you're thirsty."
In the restaurant, Jiang Xueming was about to have a good chat when he suddenly froze.
"Mr. Wood, haven't you already said that once?"
"Said it once? I don't recall."
The two men were very skilled; their movements as they stood up were so practiced that they naturally drew their service pistols before any security checks or questioning could even begin.
Xue Ming handed over the COMBAT MASTER and AK-12, left behind the survival light and IFF markers, and voluntarily handed over the complete set of bulletproof inserts and MOLLE bulletproof plates to the security guard as contraband.
Wood then pulled out his treasured M16 and kissed the heart-shaped sticker left by his lover.
They exchanged a smile and eventually shook hands with a knowing rapport, no longer concerned about the dangers of the "Sexy Bomb"—anything Wood Plark's left hand had the risk of exploding.
Jiang Xueming, carrying his luggage, asked Wood about it when he arrived at the waiting hall.
"Teacher, aren't you going to eat anything? I remember you said you wanted to eat dumplings?"
Wood's expression was resolute and determined.
"I never said that, and..."
Jiang Xueming's pupils contracted slightly, finally realizing that something was wrong.
It seemed as if something had happened, yet nothing had happened—this enigmatic self-questioning left him puzzled, while he felt an inexplicable sense of intimacy with the train conductor before him.
Wood: "And why? Why are you calling me teacher?"
Jiang Xueming: "Was I attacked by Soul Power? Wood! Were we attacked by Soul Power?"
Wood: "What are the enemy's capabilities? Why do I sense them?! You're more important than Red Mountain Stone?! Why am I shaking hands with you? Why?"
Jiang Xueming looked at the passengers in the waiting hall in horror, and finally screamed.
"Commander Wood! Could it be... the enemy's Soul Power ability?!"
Wood Plark then gaped open, his face filled with astonishment.
"Are you trying to turn me into a homosexual?!"
The cleaning lady, dragging her mop, passed by the two travelers. Upon hearing this, she asked the two boys to lift their legs, but eventually, unfazed, she walked away.
Jiang Xueming felt a chill and almost instinctively activated his spiritual body to guard against any enemy that might appear at any moment!
The steel half-body was throwing an angry punch into the air.
"--No, kid!" Wood pointed to Xue Ming's spirit.
Originally, Xue Ming's spirit arm skin had no markings or etched marks, but now there is a line of words that look like laser engraving on his upper arm.
I'm not grown up yet; I'm still a long way from becoming a gloomy adult.
[FE30331]
The airport waiting area's public address system was playing Green Day's song.
It is <Last Night On Earth>.
There are 23 minutes left before the plane departs.
Billy the Kid leaned on Fuyanni's shoulder, having just woken up, and began excitedly discussing the Lakers vs. Clippers game.
Benjamin ran like the wind and finally escaped the hounds' pursuit, managing to catch the last flight of the day.
In a secluded corner next to the women's restroom, Ms. Duran took flight attendant Flavia's hand, held her tightly in her arms, secretly caressed her soft, warm buttocks beneath her skirt, and then gave her a deep kiss, bidding her a simple farewell.
"See you in heaven, Duran."
See you in heaven.
Sixty-Three took a bottle of chocolate milk from the vending machine and bought an extra bottle of water.
He drank the milk in one gulp, cleaned the dust off his black trench coat, shaved his beard, and washed his face with purified water.
Then he looked at Jiang Xueming and Plark, who were shouting strangely in the distance.
Looking at the pure white, flawless Steel Heart—
--In the end, it remained completely still.