[Countdown: two minutes, thirty seconds]
A sea of fire raged below. Fragments of the shattered platform fell into the river beneath the launch base, and the piercing howls gradually faded. Riot seemed to have perished amid the thick smoke.
The group clung to the rocket gantry and peered down, the smoke stinging their eyes so badly they could barely keep them open.
"Cough, cough... is he dead?"
Kaeya hooked an arm around the railing and fanned the air in front of his nose. He coughed twice and asked the others beside him.
Xiangling lent Guoba a hand as he slowly climbed onto the gantry.
"I don't know. There's a nasty smell in the air. Looks like stir-frying a symbiote isn't a viable cooking method. The heat was too high, and even the ingredients' original flavor is gone."
Xiangling wrinkled her nose in distaste. Her gaze unconsciously drifted toward the other "ingredient" beside the railing, and she murmured, "Maybe I should add some water, toss in some chilies, cumin, dried butterflies, ants, and stuff, then simmer it all into a rich broth... and finish with a handful of cilantro... slurp~"
The girl abruptly turned away, covering her mouth and shaking her head. "Ah... what a waste. Such a waste!"
Venom: ...
The night breeze swept away the smoke, revealing the wreckage below. Riot was nowhere to be seen.
Just as they thought they had won, Riot suddenly leaped out of the still river, grabbed the remaining steel framework, and charged toward the rocket.
The instant Riot lunged up, Venom tossed Klee to Lin Ze, then threw himself onto Riot and dragged him away from the rocket.
Lin Ze caught Klee by her backpack and had her wrap her arms around his neck. Then he climbed up to the roof