The journey was long and bumpy. Wen Shifei, drowsy from the blood loss and pain, spent most of the time slumped against Lu Chenseng's chest. Lu Chenseng, forcing himself to stay alert, remained vigilant to any movement (his awakened senses were still on high alert), while enduring the waves of weakness and excruciating pain brought on by the backlash of his inner strength. Wen Shifei frowned at every jolt, and Lu Chenseng subconsciously held her tighter, using his body to cushion the impact.
The night was as dark as ink. When they finally reached their destination, the sky was already a leaden grey, a dead silence.
Before my eyes was the completely forgotten military outpost from the opening of Volume Two. It stood like the skeleton of a giant beast, its broken wire like ribs, its shattered windows like empty eye sockets. The faded military flag whistled in the bitter morning breeze, its dying cry.
"It's right here," Scarface whispered. "We've given it a quick cleanup, so it's relatively safe. We have food, water, and medicine. Our people will be on guard outside, but... the Black Snake Gang has been active nearby recently, and the chaebol's secret agents may have infiltrated as well. You must be careful."
Lu Cheneng nodded, holding Wen Shifei in his arms, and walked over gravel and rubble into the dilapidated barracks that symbolized the demise of the old era. Every step he took crushed the dust of history.
The barracks were filled with dust and a lingering smell of decay, though a corner had indeed been swept. Lu Chencheng carefully placed Wen Shifei on the cleaned moisture-proof mat. Her face was as pale as paper, the gauze on her shoulder faintly stained with blood, and her eyes were filled with deep fatigue and lingering fear.
"How do you feel?" Lu Chensheng knelt beside her, his voice soft and gentle, even though he hadn't noticed. He reached out, wanting to touch her pale cheek, but stopped mid-move, ultimately just gently brushing away the flaxen hair soaked with sweat from her forehead.
Wen Shifei forced a weak smile: "I won't die... I'm just a little... cold." The blood loss made her feel cold.
Lu Cheneng immediately took off his blood- and dust-stained coat and carefully covered her with it. Then, silently, he stood up and began to inspect the entire barracks structure, confirming every entrance and exit, checking for hidden surveillance or traps. His movements were still a little stiff, and the backlash pain had not completely subsided, but the focus and meticulousness of his guarding brought an indescribable warmth to Wen Shifei's heart as she curled up on the mat.
After confirming that it was temporarily safe, Lu Chencheng returned to Wen Shifei, took out the compressed biscuits and water left by the "Lighthouse", and carefully fed her a little. Seeing her struggling to swallow, the heartache in his eyes almost overflowed.
"Don't look at me like that," Wen Shifei swallowed the food, her voice still weak, but with a hint of teasing, "as if I'm about to break." She tried to raise her hand to touch the wound on her shoulder, but Lu Chenseng grabbed her wrist.
"Don't move." His tone was commanding and tough, but his eyes were extremely soft. "You need to rest. Let's talk about the analysis after your injury is better." He took out the anti-inflammatory and analgesic from the first aid kit and fed her according to the instructions.
The drug's effects gradually took effect, and coupled with extreme exhaustion, Wen Shifei's eyelids grew heavier. Before her consciousness sank into darkness, she vaguely saw Lu Chensheng leaning against the wall beside her. His profile appeared grim and weary in the gradually filtering morning light, but his hand on the gun remained steady. His gaze, like the most vigilant sentry, penetrated the dilapidated wall and scanned the leaden, perilous dawn outside.
“…Lu Cheneng…” She murmured unconsciously.
"I'm here," he responded immediately, his voice low and steady. "Go to sleep. I'll be watching."
Those three simple words carried a reassuring power. Wen Shifei's tense nerves finally relaxed completely, and she fell into a deep sleep. However, even in her sleep, her brows were slightly furrowed, and it was clear that the pain in her wound had not completely subsided.
Lu Chensheng stared at her face, still fragile yet stubborn even in her sleep, his gaze fixed on her for a long time. In the silence of the abandoned barracks, the only sounds were her shallow, slightly rapid breathing and his own heavy heartbeat.
The bloody dawn faded, leaving behind scars all over his body, the exhaustion of the backlash of his power, and a companion whose shoulder was wounded for him (for hope).
But the spark of hope has not been extinguished!
He slowly raised his right hand, gazing at the lingering bruises and tiny lacerations on his knuckles. It was this hand, in desperate straits, that first unleashed the power of the "Seven-Pointed Star"! That feeling... violent, powerful, as if capable of ripping through all restraints, yet also carrying a terrifying, self-devouring backlash! Those blurred, distorted streaks of light... the incomplete seven-pointed star... and the blood-red motto projected by the analyzer:
“Awakened, may you break free from your shackles and see your true self.”
"The seed of 'Zero' was sown in the world. When it awakens, the old world collapses and the new world is born."
"If you can gather the 'Seven-Pointed Star', you can break free from your genetic prison and forge a free soul!"
"'Seven-pointed Star': symbolizes the seven sources of genetic awakening. When the starlight converges, the shackles will be released. The breath of the source points, like sources attract, unlike sources repel. Star seekers, be careful, be careful."
Seed Zero! Heptagram! Genetic Cage! Soul of Freedom! Like attracts, unlike repels!
All the clues are connected at this moment!
The chip within him, the fragments of which Wen Shifei's brother, Wen Shiyu, had passed on at the cost of his life, isn't simply a shackle, but a key! A key that points to the core of "Project Zero," to the forbidden power deep within his genes, to the "Seven-Pointed Star"! This power can break the chaebol's genetic control, but it also carries enormous risks and uncertainties! Seeking other awakened beings (other astral stars) is a source of strength, but it could also bring new dangers!
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
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