There was still no word from the Joint Command Center, and Bai Zhu was already getting restless.
He leaned against the wall at the mouth of the alley and tried to draw on the little Reiatsu he had just managed to accumulate. It was no different from trying nothing at all; his legs were still weak.
Piyu squatted beside him, scrolling through her phone screen for reasons unknown.
"We're not waiting anymore." Bai Zhu pushed himself upright against the wall. "If we keep waiting, there won't be anyone alive left in this city. Let's head to the harbor and scout things out."
Piyu raised her head, her gaze lingering for a moment on his still-wobbling legs.
"Are you sure?"
"You're scared, aren't you?"
"When have I ever been scared?" Bai Zhu declared righteously. "It's a tactical retreat, understand? We find somewhere safe, wait until I recover, then come back and kill the thing."
He made it sound easy, but he knew the truth perfectly well.
That monster fed on fear, and the city was its biggest cafeteria. Staying here was no different from waiting to be eaten. Going to the Caspian Sea, finding that giant squid, or at least locating the Chimera Ruins, was their only way to survive.
Piyu did not argue further. She put away her phone and stood up.
Just as the two were about to move, Piyu's phone rang.
It was Morel.
Piyu put the call on speaker. Morel's heavy voice came through the receiver, accompanied by a background of noisy voices and the electronic hum of operating equipment.
"You two were planning to sneak off without even calling me?"
Bai Zhu looked up blankly and happened to meet Morel's eyes as he poked his head out from the command center.
He gave a dry little