Raise his hand. Fire.
The firearm formed from Black Miracle matter unleashed astonishing power in an instant. Wu Hen felt as if he were gripping a bolt of lightning, while the bullets it fired sent exaggerated electromagnetic sparks crackling through the air!
"Boom!!"
It wasn't like a pistol shot. It was more like an armor-piercing round exploding against Midnight Mass.
The incredibly muscular Midnight Mass was blown apart by the bullet, its body torn to pieces, its broken limbs scattered on either side of the railway tracks!
Su Li crouched with her hands over her ears, staring at the scene in disbelief. She had even forgotten to get up...
The supposedly unkillable Midnight Mass had been blown apart by Wu Hen!!
"Aunt, move!" Wu Hen said.
Only then did Su Li scramble to her feet and run toward the safe carriage.
"Keep going. I'm right behind you," Wu Hen said.
Without the Origin Mech Pistol, Su Li was just a frail woman. During her long struggle to survive in the Wasteland, she had grown tough, independent, and cold, almost forgetting what it felt like to be protected by someone else.
"Boom!!!"
The bullet whistled through the darkness of the eclipse, trailing lightning-like power.
Wu Hen had practiced shooting from a young age, and his aim was excellent.
What's more, he could clearly feel that the Black Miracle firearm in his hand was a living thing. He barely even needed to aim; it could lock onto the fast-moving Midnight Mass on its own!
"Boom!!!!"
"Boom!!!!!"
Shot after shot unleashed brilliant firepower. The fear began to fade, and Wu Hen grew steadier as he led Su Li a long way forward.
Only ten meters remained.
Midnight Mass crowded both sides of the tracks along those ten meters, and there were far more of them than before.
If they all leapt up and pounced at once, even the bullets' power wouldn't help.
Fortunately, Wu Hen felt no fear. A strange thought even flashed through his mind.
How could he describe it? It was like something was guiding him on how to use the power in his right hand.
"There are too many!" Su Li's face was still pale. She wanted to keep shooting, but she was out of bullets.
"We'll be fine," Wu Hen said with absolute confidence.
Suddenly, Wu Hen did something that made Su Li cry out in surprise.
He raised his right arm and tossed the Black Miracle pistol into the air!
In Su Li's eyes, that was no different from giving up. Yet, for some inexplicable reason, Wu Hen wore a smile.
The Black Miracle firearm hung in the air like a black bird. More incredibly still, it fired at the Midnight Mass surging toward them at an astonishing rate!!
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
It aimed and fired on its own, sending bullets wildly in every direction, yet every one struck an approaching Midnight Mass!
A whole group of Midnight Mass had gathered around them. Now, the ugly bodies burst apart one after another, their severed limbs flying everywhere!
"Aunt, let's go."
Wu Hen took Su Li's hand and ran forward.
Midnight Mass seemed to be made up of fearless creatures. Even after losing so many of their kind, they still came on relentlessly.
Over the short stretch of ten meters, another twenty or thirty Midnight Mass attacked.
Above Wu Hen, the birdlike firearm floated along after them.
As it followed, it turned to aim and fired one shot after another, each bursting with lightning as it cleared every obstacle in Wu Hen's path!
The strange and heroic sight left Su Li's mind completely blank.
Like an inexperienced country girl, she looked from the unbelievable, almost fantastical firearm to the confident, spirited young man, Wu Hen.
For so long, Su Li had barely survived beneath this Evil Soil, enduring torment, pursuit, and humiliation. Who knew how many feelings she had kept bottled up? Now, watching the arrogant evil spirits get slaughtered, she couldn't help feeling a rush of satisfying release. And when she looked at that face, her heart surged with emotions she couldn't put into words!
"Aunt, we're here!" Wu Hen called to Su Li.
He opened the door and led Su Li into the carriage, now filled with fluorescent light.
The two of them pulled the door shut together, sealing away the evil aura and the stench of Midnight Mass.
At last, Su Li and Wu Hen sank down beside the door, exhausted.
The two survivors' miraculous escape stunned everyone in the carriage. They stared at Su Li and Wu Hen in disbelief.
"An Awakened! He's become a bona fide Awakened!" Scar-faced Uncle said excitedly.
"The Black Shirt Organization—those sons of bitches nearly sacrificed our Awakened to the Evil Sun!" Auntie Huang said.
"There's an Awakened in our group now!" said Shan Hu, one of the women, equally excited.
Su Li had already served as a sort of half-Awakened in the group, capable of fighting well enough to help the others survive.
Now they had another Awakened, one with even greater strength. Their chances of survival had improved immensely. Perhaps they really could reach the Nuwa Divine Tree!
In that instant, everyone in the group looked at Wu Hen differently!
A streak of Heavenly Radiance returned to the dim world.
Gradually, daylight reappeared. A white sun hung low on the horizon, and the land and everything upon it basked in its light once more.
Some Midnight Mass still clung to the train, unwilling to let the living escape so easily.
But as the sun's fiery rays fell upon them, limestone rapidly grew over their bodies. Their joints stiffened, their bodies were wrapped in thick layers, and in the end, they became tombstone sculptures, one after another!
"Hah~"
"Hah~~"
Wu Hen and Su Li sat together and rested, finally catching their breath.
They sat close, their sweat mingling.
Su Li couldn't help glancing at the young man. He grinned back with a smug yet sincere smile, exactly like the person she knew so well.
Wu Hen noticed the warmth and bewilderment in Su Li's gaze and couldn't resist teasing her. "You don't have to handle everything by yourself. It's better when we help each other."
Su Li understood the innuendo perfectly and rolled her eyes at the young man.
To avoid getting tangled up with Wu Hen in front of everyone over such an embarrassing subject, Su Li stood and turned to the others.
"The sun's back. You four, check every part of the train. You must push the Midnight Mass that turned to stone off the train. Otherwise, we'll still be in danger when night falls."
"No problem. You, take this." Scar-faced Uncle tossed an ax in front of Yang Qin and the boy, intending to take them out to inspect the train.
"I... I'm not going out..." Yang Qin had been so frightened that she'd wet herself several times. A foul smell clung to her.
Scar-faced Uncle glanced at Su Li.
Su Li gave him a cold look.
Scar-faced Uncle understood at once. He grabbed Yang Qin and dragged her toward the train door. No matter how she struggled, he looked ready to throw her out of the carriage.
"We have no obligation to protect useless people," Scar-faced Uncle said.
"I'll go! I'll go, all right?"
"Look at you, swearing already." Scar-faced Uncle wasn't as easygoing as he looked.
"That's not what I meant! I mean, I'm willing to go outside and inspect the train!" Yang Qin hurriedly explained.
"That's more like it. Get moving. It'll be dark soon. You don't want Midnight Mass to eat you again, do you?" Scar-faced Uncle said.
Scar-faced Uncle led Yang Qin and the boy out of the carriage. The sunlight outside was bright, but Midnight Mass still stood frozen in the light around the other carriages, each figure like a demonic soldier.
"Remember to check underneath the train," Wu Hen reminded them.
Scar-faced Uncle didn't turn around. He simply raised his ax to show he'd heard.
While resting, Wu Hen also observed the Black Miracle firearm, which could act on its own.
The Black Miracle firearm had already returned to his right arm, turning back into black-light matter that seeped into his flesh and blood and disappeared.
Still, a clear awareness had formed deep in Wu Hen's soul. With a single thought, the thing would appear in his right hand just as before and clear every obstacle in his way!
"Could it be that Meiqing Muxiu's navel core helped me capture the thing in the sky, and then it merged with my soul?"
"Its form keeps changing. Does it become whatever it eats?"
"But even if it can change, it needs Yuan You to charge it up before it can unleash its power?"
"Reasonable. Very reasonable!"
Wu Hen had figured out Foster Father's traits in an incredibly short time!
He had to admit, Foster Father was still Foster Father!
Incredible!!
Next time there was lightning and thunder, he'd toss Foster Father into the sky and let him absorb enough to become a Death Sword of lightning, just like when he'd annihilated those beings from another dimension!
"Hey, hey. Can you understand what I'm saying?"
At Wu Hen's right arm, Black Miracle matter revealed the ghostly patterns visible to him, pulsing like a breath. It was just like divine radiance showing through his own blood!
"Um... Could you show yourself again?"
The ghostly patterns on his arm dimmed.
"Oh, it's fine if you don't want to."
So proud.
"How about this? I need to give you a name... Otherwise, it'll be a problem if I'm in danger and need you while you're asleep."
"How about I call you Little Black?"
"Ah!" Wu Hen suddenly felt a burning pain in his arm and grimaced.
If you don't like it, just say so.
Why bite me?
"How about Little Swordy?" Wu Hen ventured.
The moment he felt his arm start to tingle, Wu Hen hurriedly changed his mind. "No, no, I know it doesn't sound good."
"Then how about Xiao Yi?"
"As in righteousness that reaches the heavens..."
"As in righteousness higher than the sky?"
"This name also stands for the unbreakable bond between us—living and dying together forever!"
Wu Hen stared at his arm.
There was no burning pain.
But no glowing patterns emerged, either.
It had probably accepted the name!
"Then I'll call you Xiao Yi."
Wu Hen nodded, satisfied. For their first proper conversation, the two of them had reached an amicable agreement.
But on second thought, Wu Hen suddenly realized that the Yi in Xiao Yi was also the Yi in Foster Father.
Oh, come on!
He just couldn't escape it, could he!
Also recommended: a new book by the great urban fantasy author Lao Shi:
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