EnCoffin Me Chapter 44
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 44
Rewinding to a few hours earlier in the dead of night, Helgodon and Zhu Qing faced each other across the corridor.
The lich was still inside the room, and Helgodon was anxious not knowing what was happening. He repeatedly roared warnings at Zhu Qing, but all he got in return was Zhu Qing's laughter. Zhu Qing almost laughed himself to death. Such a fragile, useless dark creature actually dared to threaten one of Theo's top fighters. It was ridiculous.
After he'd laughed enough and wiped his tears, his expression suddenly changed. He fired a shot at Helgodon!
“Once, I found it amusing. Twice, I found it a joke. But to persistently refuse to repent, that's just tasteless,” he said, still smiling, but his eyes turned cold. He watched as Helgodon scrambled up from the ground, only wounded in his front leg by the beam. The gun barrel slowly raised again.
“Not bad. For a dark creature, you run pretty fast. How about another round?”
He also held a gun in his left hand and slowly lifted it. The mini camera nearby faithfully transmitted the scene. Viewers on the platform exploded. More and more people flooded in. Recognizing Helgodon, they no longer believed this was a prank. They started cursing Zhu Qing's livestream and frantically called the conservation center and related organizations, hoping they would arrive immediately.
【What's going on at the conservation center? Why are guns coming out?】
【Don't hurt my Dondon! Aaaah don't hurt my Dondon!】
【@Darklife Conservation Center @Olsen @Darklife Conservation Center…】
However, behind the screen, their efforts were doomed to be of no real help to Helgodon. More and more people flooded in, and the growing despair spread. When Helgodon wobbled but stubbornly stood up from the ground, that despair reached its peak in an instant!
【Huhuhuhu Dondon!】
【Someone nearby, please help him, I beg you, huhu…】
Zhu Qing glanced at the scrolling messages and smiled triumphantly. He naturally loved being the center of attention. In the past, nothing he did could compare to his disabled cousin, until he ran away from home and started working for Theo. Only then did he finally get the spotlight he craved. He enjoyed all these eyes watching him now. Even if it was fear and hatred, it was proof of his capability!
He was stronger than Zhu Heng!
Having received enough attention, Zhu Qing thought he could afford to be merciful. He shifted the camera to show the closed door.
“There's one more inside,” he said with a smile. “Too bad that's not my turf, such a shame…”
He repeated ‘such a shame’ several times, earning a flood of curses from the viewers. Zhu Qing kept smiling. The communicator at his waist buzzed several times. It was the perimeter team encountering the military, telling him to retreat with the dark creatures as soon as possible.
Their goal wasn't to completely destroy the conservation center. They couldn't do that with their current numbers. Theo had spent nearly ten years planting pawns here, waiting for this day to harvest as many dark creatures as possible. Zhu Qing could fool around, but he could not cross Theo's bottom line.
Zhu Qing's smile faded. It seemed his fun was coming to an end, but he could still manage to take that wolf cub with him despite his busy schedule.
The lich inside the room was also facing a crisis. Her reaction was swift. After the door was sealed shut, she immediately spun around to look for cover. While running, she tripped over something and nearly fell. She looked down, and her movements froze instantly.
It was Zerita's temporary caretaker.
The young caretaker was already dead, lying quietly on her back on the ground. It was Lucy's first time coming face-to-face with death up close. This death was different from the death of the food she encountered in the cafeteria. She could feel the lingering warmth, the soul's final sigh. Her body trembled slightly, and she wanted to retreat, but there was an attacker behind her. So Lucy bit her lip hard, fighting the urge to run away, and reached out toward the corpse.
“I'm sorry…” Tears welled in her eyes. “I'm sorry…”
The shadow of death hung over the entire room. Lucy clearly saw those black wings, and countless traces of death echoed deeply in her soul. She involuntarily grew more reverent, folding her hands at her chest. Flecks of lingering spirit flickered in her eyes.
She accepted the regrets of the dead and vowed to remember them forever.
The mercenary was close by. He assumed the lich was too frightened to move, but the lich slowly lifted her head to look at him. Tears overflowed from her eyes, yet the dark pupils burned brighter with ghostly blue flames.
No! The mercenary suddenly pulled back, a move that saved his life! The dead caretaker stood up again, staggering, lifting her vacant eyes to him, her hands frozen in a strangling pose. Had the mercenary not retreated in time, he would have been caught tight.
A chill ran down the mercenary's spine. He instinctively backed away again. Seizing the chance, the lich laid down a thin bridge of white bones over the pool and dashed across it toward the far side of the room.
At least this could hold for now…
Suddenly, her ankle was yanked, and Lucy let out a silent cry as the bone bridge disintegrated beneath her. She plunged into the water. Lucy couldn't swim. Although undead creatures didn't have the usual risk of choking, she was unable to use necromantic magic to save herself in that moment. Slippery arms wrapped around her neck from behind, pulling her toward the shore. The water nymph opened her eyes. Her right eye had turned a deep violet. She whispered a laugh into Lucy's ear.
“Another good kid. Since when did the conservation center get so good at raising children?”
“!!!”
Lucy immediately struggled with all her strength.
“Shh, don't move. You can't run.” The mentally controlled water nymph smiled, but her grip did not loosen. Zerita's health was poor, but Lucy wasn't very strong either. In the water nymph's domain, she could only watch helplessly as she was dragged toward the shore, while the mercenary stretched out his hand in her direction—
“Boom!!!”
A loud explosion rang out in the corridor. The conservation center's soundproof alloy door was dented heavily, as if something drastic had happened outside. The water nymph who was restraining Lucy frowned slightly, sensing a cold wave spreading inward from the door. Suddenly, her expression sharpened and her grip tightened. Unfortunately, this wasn't his own body. Zerita's water nymph form didn't have exceptional reflexes.
The lich seized the opportunity and slipped easily from the water nymph's grasp. Pale bones appeared above the water nymph's head.
The bones intertwined beneath the water. Thanks to Lucy's precise control, the water nymph's body wasn't harmed. Instead, they simply crisscrossed to pin her underwater! The bone bridge rose again, and Lucy, her cloak soaked through, crawled ashore. She hurried toward the mercenary, who had just turned back to look and was now running quickly to her side.
Their days of training together let Lucy know that Helgodon must have caused the huge commotion outside. He would surely keep trying to break through the door, so she had to get there quickly.
As she ran toward that direction, another massive impact rang out, twisting the alloy door even more severely. The mercenary suddenly felt a bad premonition and reached out to grab the lich. Behind him came another boom. This time not from a collision, but from—
The blast of a beam weapon firing!
The alloy door collapsed with a crash, pinning the astonished mercenary beneath it. The lich girl stepped over him, reached out towards the dazzling silver-white light beyond the door, grabbed a handful of the giant wolf's fur, and flipped herself onto its back. A furious question rang out in her ears—
“You used my firepower to break the door?!”
Zhu Qing was almost beside himself with rage! He had thought the wolf cub was already his captive, but under his playful attack, the battered wolf cub suddenly grew, transforming into a massive silver wolf over a man's height. His icy blue eyes turned into beastly pupils, and he charged at him recklessly!
With every step, the silver wolf left frost in his wake, the chilling cold pressing down wherever he went. His sharp fangs and claws awakened an instinctive fear deep in Zhu Qing's bloodline. He was a shen, and his bloodline instinctually feared ferocious beasts with fangs and claws. Realizing he had instinctively stepped back, he flew into a rage and launched a furious assault on the giant wolf!
The first strike sent the wolf crashing into the wall, leaving a huge dent.
The second hit wounded him again, yet he let out an unyielding roar.
On the third, a cunning gleam flashed in the wolf's eyes. He adopted the posture he used as a cub when throwing a tantrum and skillfully rolled on the spot. Zhu Qing's two shots both slammed into the alloy door!
As if by unspoken agreement, the lich stepped over the mercenary pinned beneath the shattered door and successfully reunited with the giant wolf. What came next was exactly what Alexio had taught them.
The giant wolf roared without hesitation. Zhu Qing's heart skipped a beat as he tensed in defense, but then, the wolf—
Turned and ran.
Lucy clung tightly to the wolf's fur. She didn't understand why Helgodon had suddenly grown so large, and she had no time to wonder. Behind them, Zhu Qing snapped out of his initial shock and furiously fired multiple shots in their direction. Lucy immediately raised layered bone shields, but the firepower was too strong. Her shields shattered and some blasts grazed her. She clenched her teeth but said nothing.
Run, run fast! Alexio had said there was no shame in retreat. When faced with an enemy they couldn't hope to defeat, all they had to do was assess the situation accurately, regroup, and then rely on their training to escape.
Lucy lost track of how long they ran through what felt like an endless night. Several times they were nearly caught or encountered other intruders. Helgodon was covered in wounds, his magic almost gone. But Lucy couldn't rest. She focused on sensing life presences, searching for a viable hiding place for Helgodon so they could at least catch their breath before being found again.
Dawn was breaking. After several sharp turns and detours, they finally paused behind a half-collapsed door. Lucy cast a pain-relief spell on Helgodon and immediately closed her eyes to meditate, hoping to restore some magic. Helgodon's fur was matted with blood. He panted, tongue lolling out. Suddenly, he lowered his head and whimpered softly twice.
Tired and in pain, they didn't even know where Zhen had gone.
Helgodon didn't want to think about what might have happened to Zhen. The thought terrified him. During the confrontation with that terrifying young man, he had been very afraid too. He even wanted to turn and run. But thinking of Lucy still in the room gripped his heart tight, holding back the urge to flee.
Alexio's words echoed repeatedly in his mind.
【Proudest… strongest…】
【It's not shameful to be afraid…】
【Guardians of the snowfield… silver torrent…】
His ancestors from ten thousand years ago shimmered in Alexio's descriptions, their brightness piercing through Helgodon's fearful heart.
He felt something awaken in his bloodline, something with fangs and claws, constantly roaring. He seemed to see the moonlight over the snowfield, frost stretching for miles, crystallizing into a sparkling kingdom. Finally, he felt that imaginary moonlight fall upon him like a gentle snow… Someone was crying, someone was laughing, someone was singing and dancing, all the sounds blending into the haunting, long-lasting howl of wolves!
When he came back to himself, he had become like his ancestors. His fur was shimmering silver, and he possessed sharp fangs and claws capable of confronting any enemy!
And he did just that.
His keen sense of smell picked up a slightly bitter scent. Helgodon snapped his head around and met Zhu Heng's surprised eyes.
“...Dondon?”
Seeing the giant wolf nod heavily, Zhu Heng was overwhelmed with disbelief. He then saw the lich, protected and encircled by the giant wolf. Both were only lightly wounded and otherwise safe, which made Zhu Heng's eyes sting with tears.
He bent down and gave the two battered children a deep, heartfelt embrace.
“It's alright now, it's alright. I'll protect you both…”
He moved against the fleeing crowd, witnessing much suffering and casualties among dark creatures, which pained him deeply. Now that he had found these two children he had practically watched grow up, he was ready to take responsibility. He would lead them to safety.
“…Come out!”
A dark voice sounded nearby. Zhu Heng's heart tightened as he immediately shielded the two children with his body. The blast ripped through the half-collapsed door, but its shockwave was blocked by Zhu Heng's back. He grunted softly but held the lich and the giant wolf's heads firmly before him.
“It's okay… it's okay…” he said through the pain, trying to calm them. He wasn't much of a fighter, but in just a few breaths, he resolved to stand his ground.
“Dondon, Lucy, listen carefully.” As footsteps drew nearer, Zhu Heng's voice grew urgent. “I'll hold them off. You run down this corridor, get out of the center, and head for the shores of the Emerald Inner Sea.”
Before the two children could even nod, Zhu Heng gritted his teeth and stepped out. As he raised his head, the enemy's gun was instantly pointed at him. Zhu Heng clearly saw the face. It bore some resemblance to his own.
“Zhu… Qing?”
Zhu Qing looked surprised as well, but quickly sneered.
“So it's you…” he murmured. “I thought I wouldn't run into you. Today's my lucky day.”
Not only could he perfectly execute Mr. Theo's orders, but he could also conveniently eliminate a long-standing thorn in his side.
He raised his gun at Zhu Heng with cold indifference. It was all over. This so-called pride of the shen clan would be erased by him, a filthy traitor. He would no longer have to live in anyone's shadow, hearing any other name. In Mr. Theo's eyes, there would only be the capable Zhu Qing.
Zhu Heng was still in shock when a noise came from behind. The silver giant wolf stepped out from its cover. Helgodon walked past Zhu Heng, subtly shielding him, while the lich stood on the other side. Hidden in her sleeve, the skeletal lizard gifted by Alexio twitched with restless energy.
They no longer needed protection. Instead, they were the ones who would protect Doctor Zhu.
Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the morning glow had ended at some unknown time. The bright midday sun streamed through the windows, illuminating the reinforcements. Griffins flew low, angels patrolled, and the old marshal personally commanded the front line. Yet his mood was lighter than anyone else's nearby.
Because Alexio was in the center.
Zhu Qing actually smiled. He had never smiled this genuinely before. The naive fools before him were putting on a touching show of mutual protection. But Zhu Qing couldn't couldn't maintain his smile. He was at the right angle formed by two corridors with floor-to-ceiling windows. On one corridor were the people he planned to kill, but at the end of the other corridor, deliberately placed footsteps could be heard.
“Shriek—”
A bird cried out sharply. Zhu Qing turned his head and saw a slightly plump night bird perched on the newcomer's shoulder. Although still somewhat fat, it already carried a trace of agility. The bird stared fearlessly at him and screeched fiercely. A hand ruffled the feathers on its neck, and it immediately quieted down.
“You led the way well,” the newcomer said softly, then lazily glanced in Zhu Qing's direction.
The black-haired, red-eyed vampire stood in the shadows at the end of the corridor. Shutting his right eye from the strong light, the full sword embracing the roses tattoo was revealed. Between him and Zhu Qing was the brilliant sunlight, broken into jagged fragments by the shattered window frames, casting fractured shadows like stairs or a boundary before battle.
For some reason, Zhu Qing's heart tightened. He slowly spoke the visitor's name—
“Ale…xio.”