Chapter 160 Ascension in Broad Daylight (Part 5): The Lonely Justice
As the laughter subsided, Onsa Kebul looked at a wax figure on a distant platform and abruptly changed the subject: "Now I know why that madman You Shi likes to laugh so much. There are actually idiots in the City of the Sun who are willing to burn their special abilities to save a bunch of fools."
The man's voice boomed like thunder, and the crowd erupted in uproar.
"Burning" and "special qualities" are two words that everyone is familiar with, but why do they sound so confusing when put together?
Isn't a person's special ability an inalienable part of themselves? How can it be burned? Even if it were theoretically possible, what's the difference between a superhuman choosing to burn their special ability and choosing suicide?!
Qu Lingyu continued to gaze at the despairing rain of light in mid-air, but her gaze shifted to the thin, yet persistent, mist in the air.
She had just been wondering why Christina had survived the fireworks rain, given that the white light was filled with astonishing energy and, driven by the madmen in the upper city, seemed almost inexhaustible.
However, the difficulty of saving oneself and saving others are vastly different.
Recalling the lingering scent of blood on her nose as the other person walked by, Qu Lingyu's shock deepened, and for a moment she didn't know how to describe her feelings.
She was just criticizing Christina, but she knew that her words were more about venting her anger than about holding her accountable.
This shower of light was something no one had anticipated. The culprits weren't among them, but rather among those so-called important figures who sat comfortably atop the city walls, clapping and cheering as they watched their disarray.
Qu Lingyu's shoulders slumped slightly. Christina, the so-called sheriff of the Lower City, was just a title. Was it really necessary for her to go to such lengths for a group of ungrateful strangers?
Damage to one's special qualities can be described as a form of slow, agonizing torture of the soul.
Even Le Feiyou, who held a different view from Christina, was taken aback. He looked down at the teleportation array, which she had destroyed halfway through drawing and then had redrawn a third of, only to have it destroyed again by Onsa Kebul. His expression was complicated, and he impulsively spoke while clutching his wound:
"You're holding back too much, don't stop me from completing the teleportation array. I can help you move the citizens to a safe place..."
"No, gods are not to be believed."
"Ha, you heretics with filthy blood, dying here is the only contribution you can make!"
Stubborn fool!
Le Feiyou cursed inwardly. Even with Onsa Kebul causing trouble, with the help of this police chief, she might not be unable to successfully relocate the citizens. However, being too determined turned into stubbornness, and the other party simply did not believe that they were on the same side!
The crowd suddenly erupted in commotion. Le Feiyou shivered, feeling as cold as if she had been soaked in a month-long rainstorm. She didn't need to turn around; the reason was already clear—
After Onsa Kebul finished speaking his harsh words, it was as if a god had truly bestowed a reward upon the invisible space. White light rushed towards the broken body, and a despairing scene descended along with a strange cracking sound as the body rapidly stretched, like a sneer coming from high in the clouds.
"Tick-tock, tick-tock."
As a follower of the Lord of Listening, Le Feiyou could clearly hear that it was the sound of blood dripping from the other half of Christina's body.
The destructive rain of light keeps falling, turning the world into a merciless sea. She not only has to struggle to cross it, but also desperately reaches out to grab the mayflies that live only a day and die in the howling waves. Her enemy is approved by the gods to be never sinking, never dying and never being reborn, like a fate that never goes away.
The rain of light was overwhelming, carrying a terrifying heat that could melt everything. The constant loss of blood still gave her the illusion of hypothermia. In a daze, she seemed to have returned to the time when she was a mortal before she awakened her special abilities, before she swore an oath in the main city, and before she took that step beyond—a childhood that was not very dignified or warm.
Christina was born naturally, and compared to her peers, the first things she learned were how to hide from debt collectors and sheriffs, and how to curl up to protect herself when her incompetent parents vented their anger.
The man's face was always contorted and blurry. Occasionally, after slapping her, her mother would hold her and weep, saying, "What did I do wrong? I just wanted to live with dignity! What's wrong with just wanting to live? Tina, you must live. Only if you live can we prove that we did nothing wrong!"
Okay, let's live like this.
Such instances of committing grave mistakes for momentary pleasure are not uncommon in the Lower City, and even the endings are remarkably consistent—two fools who ruined their lives because of a single choice finally couldn't bear it any longer, left the protection of civilization with the extravagant hope of getting rich overnight, and were then swallowed up by the gray fog as no one expected.
The ending was slightly different; the abandoned burden did not die quietly in the shadows of the city, but was adopted by an old sheriff.
Christina Fisher thus acquired a surname, and a second life principle besides "survive": "be a good person."
"Why should I be a good person? It feels so tiring. I don't want to. I just want to live."
"Only by being a good person can everyone survive."
Although adoption is also legally recognized, it is also outside the interconnected training system of "social care facility - school - company". Loneliness and talent flowed into her blood, growing almost intertwined with her bones.
During the period when her special abilities were awakened, her mind was dominated by fear. The sheriff who adopted her said that she was not strong enough yet, and that when she stood at the pinnacle of humanity, she would get everything she desired and everything she hoped for would be realized.
The old sheriff died on a similar rainy night. She said, "More than hatred, I hope you keep going, walk to the end of the road. You won't always be alone."
And so, decades slipped by her, never to return.
"That's a monster! How could a normal person possibly defeat it!"
"Who can save me?"
"Staying here will only mean certain death!"
The rain, heavy with panic and unease, continued to fall. Christina took a breath; the aftereffects of her burning trait had brought back the delusional hysteria that had plagued her for years. Even in the midst of battle, the dreams she often had in her youth still surfaced before her eyes.
Was it also a rainy night? Or maybe not, she couldn't quite remember.
The mother, whose face was blurred, hesitated for a moment, then reached out and hugged her. It was the only hug Christina could remember her mother giving her: "Mom is leaving. Don't blame Mom. Blame the City of the Sun. This city is beyond saving!"
But this is the last city for humankind.
The sky, the ocean, most of the land, and even retreating to the last city—humanity has nowhere left to retreat.
Christina took a deep breath, the excruciating pain pulling her back from her fantasies. Everything comes at a price; no matter how close that lord was to that position, he was still just a little short.
This city-wide ritual cannot be without limitations, either in terms of the number of people involved or the duration. As long as she saves enough people and the longer the obstruction lasts, she can break the ritual and allow the remaining people to live, as long as she kills the obstacle in her way!
"Click".
Onsaber's mocking smile suddenly froze. His newly grown skin was sensitive and kept stinging. Christina clicked the empty magazine away, loaded it, aimed at Onsaber, but did not put in a new bullet.
With a "bang," a bright red bullet left the barrel, leaving a fist-sized hole in Christina's left shoulder. Onsabu's expression tightened; this was the first time Christina's eyes had changed since the start of the battle. The overwhelming killing intent within indicated that this bullet was definitely not to be underestimated, and even with divine intervention, he would never dare to be careless.
Splash—
At the critical moment, the sound of water came from the distant void. The bright red bullet, exuding an aura of destruction, seemed to be stopped by something, stopping less than a centimeter from Onsa Kebul's chest, and disappeared little by little, like a wooden boat that lost power and quietly disappeared in a storm.
A cold sweat broke out on Onsabubul's back. Christina didn't seem to be upset about the failed attack. The cold killing intent in her eyes, which had been filled with too much experience, was like a deep lake. She pulled the trigger again, and a neat hole appeared in her calf.
Enraged by this reckless fighting style, Onsa Kebul's muscles bulged, and sweat rapidly evaporated, creating a cloud of white mist. He grinned maliciously, and invisible water gathered in his hands as he chose to catch the incoming crimson bullets with his bare hands: "Finally, you've produced something decent, but—it's far from enough! With the blessings of the gods by your side, you can't possibly defeat me!"
"Boom—"
A violent explosion erupted from his palm, flesh and blood flying everywhere, revealing stark white bone. The wounds regenerated at lightning speed in the next instant. Onsagubul, as if castrated of all pain, grinned cruelly, his hands lashing down. "So what if this gift of mine is yours!" he roared.
"Bang--"
Like a ship speeding along, raising its sails and forcibly changing direction, or like a giant ship a hundred meters high crashing into a dock, Timi felt like the first plank on an ancient dock, her brain buzzing and her consciousness shattered.
After an unknown amount of time, a white light burst into the familiar dizziness, and Timi realized that she was vomiting and convulsing. She was sent flying and rolled several times on the ground, leaving behind a trail of fallen figures.
Christina was the only one still standing, her expression as solemn as ever, showing no sign of the shocking attack affecting her, with only a few drops of blood slowly seeping from deep within her ear canal.
This can't go on!
Despite feeling nauseous, Ti Mi rummaged through the crowd and found the semi-conscious Qu Lingyu. Her brain had never worked so fast in her entire life.
One is the head of the Public Security Bureau, the most powerful fighter in the City of the Sun, and the other is the Pope of the Great Evil God, whose methods are mysterious. It is unknown who will win in their battle.
But if someone can gain energy from the sacrifices around them and have near-immortality, while their opponent is not only suppressed by the environment but also has to risk most of their life to protect these burdens, the outcome is already decided before the battle even begins!
what to do?
Ti Mi subconsciously looked at Qu Lingyu. In the past few days in the resettlement area, she had gotten used to following the other party's arrangements. However, Qu Lingyu's superpower did not strengthen her body. Today, she had experienced multiple backlashes from her superpower. The fact that she could still stand up despite her blurred consciousness was already a testament to her amazing willpower.
“Send her to me.”
Upon hearing the hoarse command, Timi seemed to have finally found her pillar of support. She hurriedly helped the groaning Qu Lingyu forward, stopping in front of Le Feiyou, drenched in sweat. "Listen—"
Le Feiyou's condition was not much better than Qu Lingyu's at this moment. It seemed that the pope of the Jinghai lord was deliberately targeting her. At this moment, she was sitting on the ground, and her injuries were particularly severe. Blood kept gushing from her forehead, making it impossible for her to open her left eye.
After saying those words, Chong Timi seemed to have exhausted most of her strength. Le Feiyou paused for a moment before reaching out her hand, her fingertips glowing faintly. Qu Lingyu's struggling movements gradually weakened. After an unknown amount of time, her chest heaved violently, and her unfocused eyes finally regained focus.
Le Feiyou hesitated for a moment before withdrawing his hand, pressing his trembling fingertips with his other hand, his voice hoarse: "Next."
"Listener, perhaps you should first heal your own body..."
"My abilities are limited, I must save lives first."
Her trait, "Daydreamer," doesn't have a healing effect; its effect is to bring imagined things to life. Qu Lingyu doesn't understand her trait; as long as she believes she can heal, she will truly be cured.
But one cannot deceive oneself; the person who knows they are dreaming is the clearest, and she cannot use the same methods to heal herself.
Timi glanced around and just as she spotted another severely injured person, her wrist was suddenly gripped tightly. Qu Lingyu leaned against her, pausing after almost every two words, her voice broken but still terrifyingly cold: "The situation is unclear. Preserving our strength is the best way to complete God's plan, isn't it?"
The wise person's choice is always to protect themselves. Le Feiyou didn't have the energy to argue with her. He only glanced at Timi, who looked equally frightened, and explained, "Using the teleportation array to transfer believers is the most convenient solution, but it's not the only one. We've been stuck in this resettlement area for too long. The church will send people to support us soon."
An accident means danger. One superhuman has already been killed. Anyone with normal intelligence would not send more people here.
Qu Lingyu knew the answer to the question, but seeing that Timi accepted it without any doubt, and that Le Feiyou was still thinking about saving people even at this point... she gritted her teeth, stood up, and staggered to help Timi save people.
She was used to careful consideration and abhorred surprises and risks. She hated gambling more than anything else in her life. But now that she was forced into this situation, she had no choice. Rather than being timid, she might as well take a gamble. After all, all she had left was her life!
The aftershock that was about to hit her was casually blocked. Timi's heart stopped, and she subconsciously turned her head, but Christina had already withdrawn her gaze, moved in mid-air, and fired a shot from a tricky position.
A sense of despair spread through the crowd. Timi had repeated Le Feiyou's words countless times. For a moment, she didn't know whether the so-called reinforcements were real or just a hallucination caused by too much pressure.
"Nobody's coming here anymore."
A strange sound suddenly rang out, like a cool breeze blowing in her ear. Timi subconsciously looked up and saw that the strange woman who had appeared with the sheriff and remained silent like a wax figure after the rain of light fell was looking at her from the high platform in the square, and then smiled.
"What did you say?"
Timi felt a chill run through her body, and as if bewitched, she couldn't move. Her attempt to lift her head froze. The first to look away was the strange woman. She looked at the increasingly dense holes in Christina's body, and a smile, perhaps one of pity or mockery, curled up at the corners of her lips.
"The souls of the transcendent are more worthy of sacrifice than the inferior spirits of mortals."
"Chief Christina Fisher, your trait isn't 'justice' at all, is it?"
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Author's Note: A no-prize contest! Guess what the chief's defining characteristic is! [doge emoji]
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