Chapter 85#

You Are My Little Cat#

With no portals available, they had to cross the entire monster-infested outer city on foot to reach the inner city. Sang Chiyu loaded his firelock and slid his hengdao into its leather belt. Everyone knew the situation they were about to face; their faces turned pale as they began preparing their blades and ammunition.

An injured man with a broken leg lay on a bed made of joined wooden tables. He reached out and grabbed the corner of Sang Chiyu’s robe. “Don’t leave me behind… Young Master Sang, don’t leave me… I don’t want to be eaten by monsters.”

The other wounded men looked equally grim. They were too far from the inner city, and these heavily injured gang members would never make it on foot.

Sang Chiyu looked at Han Ye and said, “We’re taking them with us.”

Han Ye nodded. “Anyone who can walk, pick up a firelock! Those who can’t, get on the flatbeds! The carts go first, the firelocks cover the rear—we all leave together!”

Han Ye pulled iron plates from beneath the counter. Robberies were frequent in the Black Street, so shopkeepers used these plates to cover their counters as cover from stray bullets. He distributed the plates to the wounded on the carts to act as shields. There were forty people in total, over a dozen wounded, and three flatbed carts. Several gang members pulled down quilts from the shop’s second floor and tore them into scraps to wrap around the wheels, muffling the sound of their movement. They pushed the carts to the door with silent steps. Sang Chiyu took the lead, lifting a corner of the oilcloth to observe the street. There was no moonlight tonight; the night was as thick as ink, and in the distant, hazy silence, everything seemed hushed.

The darkness provided them with excellent cover. They had to move without a sound.

Three meat puppets led the way to scout. The gang members followed cautiously behind, pulling the carts. Sang Chiyu and Han Ye crouched behind the porch pillars to cover the rear, one on the left and one on the right, their firelocks aimed across the street. The third cart successfully left the shop, and the enemy still hadn’t noticed. They tried their best to minimize the noise; even the low rumble of the axles was enough to make their hearts race.

On the other end of the compass, Su Ruhui listened to Sang Chiyu’s breathing, his own heartbeat nearly coming to a standstill.

When the carts reached the barbed wire fence, they stopped one by one. The gang members’ faces went white; they had forgotten about this. The wire fence didn’t just block the monsters’ path—it blocked their retreat, too. They couldn’t climb walls like the meat puppets. One gang member pulled out gunpowder and mouthed the question: Should we blow it? Sang Chiyu pressed his hand down and took two corrosion talismans from his waist pouch, sticking them onto the wire. Gunpowder was too loud; blowing it would be the same as announcing their position. Unexpectedly, these corrosion talismans were proving useful.

Unfortunately, the talismans were of a low grade and could only burn through thin veins of metal rather than corroding entire sections. Everyone waited anxiously until the corroded veins finally connected into a larger area. The men gingerly removed that section of the wire, creating a large hole. The corrosion hadn’t stopped; like growing branches, it slowly crept up the fence. The sound was like insects chewing—a constant crackle-crunch that made their scalps tingle. Sang Chiyu signaled for them to pass through quickly. The meat puppets stood in an arc to guard the rear while the gang members hunched over, avoiding the still-corroding edges as they pulled the carts through.

The corrosion grew more severe, and many parts of the fence began to shatter until the entire structure became unstable. Sang Chiyu’s brow furrowed deeper as he signaled them to speed up, pushing Han Ye through in the process. Just as the third cart passed, the corrosion finally reached the edge, and the wire fence collapsed completely. A series of loud crashes echoed through the snowy night. The sound traveled far in the open air, and the enemy artillery responded instantly.

“Don’t let the mortals escape!” Countless bloodthirsty eyes lit up in the darkness.

Han Ye shouted, “Run!”

Everyone bolted for their lives. The men pulling the carts gritted their teeth and sprinted. Sang Chiyu opened fire on the pursuing monsters. The meat puppets at the rear gradually thinned out; some had half their faces blown off, their teeth bared, yet they continued to fire their weapons. Han Ye set fires everywhere, the thick smoke obscuring the monsters’ vision and the flames blocking their path. Yet shadows of monsters continued to emerge from all directions. The man pulling the third cart was hit in the head, and the cart ground to a halt in the snow. Sang Chiyu dragged the body away and grabbed the cart’s handle himself.

Han Ye stopped him, roaring, “Don’t pull it! Go!”

“I promised I would take them with me,” Sang Chiyu said stubbornly, refusing to let go.

Han Ye flipped over the dented iron plate, revealing the mangled corpses behind it. The bullets had turned them into a mass of mangled flesh, their features indistinguishable.

“They’re dead! All of them! Why are you pulling corpses! Go!”

Only then did Sang Chiyu realize there were no survivors left on the cart.

They sprinted on. The second cart and the first cart stopped one after another at the next intersection. His ammunition was spent. Sang Chiyu unsheathed Kuyue, hoisted a fallen gang member onto his back, and led the remaining people in a dead run. The man on his back had been shot in the neck, and hot blood soaked Sang Chiyu’s body. Sang Chiyu looked like he had been drenched in blood; the cold wind slashed at his chest, and his heart felt equally lacerated. They fled; they swung their blades. The monsters pursued them like ants under a wheel, the shadow of death looming over their heads.

“One joss stick’s time is up,” Old Blind Lu reminded Su Ruhui.

Deafening gunfire echoed from the compass. Su Ruhui looked around. Everyone who could be retrieved from the front lines had been brought back, lying haphazardly on the ground. The commoners looked at Su Ruhui, their eyes filled with unspoken words. Su Ruhui saw the fear and the desperate longing for survival in their eyes. Without exception, they stared at Su Ruhui and the central star array at his feet. The array was complete, and the practitioners were in position. As soon as the final spirit stone was placed into the slot, the Great Teleportation Star Array would activate instantly.

“Wait a little longer. Just a little longer,” Su Ruhui said hoarsely.

No one responded.

Su Ruhui lifted his robes and knelt before the crowd, his forehead striking the ground heavily.

“I beg you, just a little longer.”

A girl’s timid voice rang out: “Mother, I want to wait for Daddy.”

The haggard mother sobbed, bowing along with Su Ruhui alongside her daughter. “My husband is still out there. Please, wait for him.”

The crowd looked at one another. First, some elderly people and women knelt tremblingly, followed by the young men and the rest. In the vast, dark night, the disheveled commoners hunched their backs, kneeling opposite Su Ruhui.

“Boss Su, please get up. We cannot accept such a gesture from you.” They wept silently. “We’ll wait. We’ll wait for them so we can all leave together!”

Only one street left! The towering inner city was right before their eyes. The lights that usually shone like a sea of stars were all extinguished now; the black city stood in the night like a vast tomb. The monsters were snapping at their heels. Sang Chiyu had exhausted the spiritual energy in his meridians; his body was like a dried-up river, the riverbed so cracked and parched that not a drop of energy could be squeezed out. The goal looked so close, yet the journey felt so far. Su Ruhui was right behind those gates, waiting for his return.

Another firelock blast roared.

Hit in the thigh, Sang Chiyu collapsed to the ground. The man on his back was thrown into the snow. Blood splashed across Sang Chiyu’s face, and he could no longer hear the man’s breathing. Sang Chiyu turned him over; he was already dead. Han Ye grabbed Sang Chiyu, trying to pull him up to carry him. Sang Chiyu pushed him away, picked up Kuyue, and turned to walk in the opposite direction.

Han Ye roared, “Where are you going!”

The dark clouds parted, and moonlight spilled onto the world. It was as if the moonlight gathered around Sang Chiyu, and faint green veins began to glow across his body.

“Young Master Sang…” The gang members stared blankly. “You’re a demon…”

Han Ye was also struck dumb. He had never imagined this guy was a monster. He looked so ascetic, so pretentious, so arrogant and cold—acting as if he were the most impressive person in the world, yet also appearing utterly indifferent. Han Ye hated people like that; every time he saw him, he wanted to punch that face twice. But he was actually a monster, of the same race as those creatures that gnashed their teeth and sucked blood.

Was he insane? If he was a monster, why was he fighting for mortals?

Han Ye wiped his face. “Sang, what the hell are you doing?”

Sang Chiyu’s voice carried over the night wind. “Su Ruhui said I should find some fun.”

“You’re sick! We’re running for our lives and you’re talking about finding fun!”

“Saving you… I felt joy.” Sang Chiyu’s hair turned white inch by inch as he revealed his true form. “Someone has to stay behind, otherwise none of us will escape. And that person must be me, because you are all too weak. Only I can hold them back. Go. Don’t worry, I won’t die.”

The monsters raised their firelocks, slowly surrounding them.

Han Ye snarled, “How could I possibly be a deserter!”

Sang Chiyu said softly, “Han Ye, you are still young. You must live. The Black Street needs an upright leader.” He drew Kuyue and dug the bullet out of his leg. Blood sprayed—it looked agonizing, but the man was like iron, showing no expression at all. He stood straight. “Your secret arts are strong, but your application is flawed. Figure it out yourself. While I am gone, do not seduce my wife.”

He turned and charged toward the monsters. Countless green veins erupted from his body, like lethal threads weaving a giant web. Several monsters were entangled; their blood and spiritual energy were drained by him, their secret arts devoured as he recovered a fragment of his strength. Firelocks thundered one after another, and bullets tore through the night wind. Sang Chiyu became a blurred shadow, dodging the projectiles from the side.

The gang members were at a loss, asking Han Ye, “Boss, what… what do we do?”

At this moment, Han Ye finally understood why Su Ruhui loved him. He was so handsome and so cool—anyone would lose their heart to him. Han Ye didn’t want to be saved by Sang Chiyu, and he certainly didn’t want to be outdone by him. But Han Ye knew that if he didn’t take everyone and leave, Sang Chiyu’s sacrifice would be meaningless.

Han Ye took a few deep breaths and forced a single word through his teeth.

“Go!”

More and more monsters arrived. In the snowy night shrouded by a bitter wind, only Sang Chiyu remained fighting. The compass was still tucked against his chest, steady and secure. He could hear the sound of Su Ruhui’s tears hitting the ground. It was so faint, so quiet, yet he heard it clearly. He didn’t know how much time had passed, but in the distance, three pillars of light rose to the sky from the inner city. A city ward disappeared within the light. He let out a sigh of relief. Countless bullets had pierced his body; even more remained lodged in his flesh and bone. He finally stopped swinging his blade. The blood on his arm meandered down the edge of the sword. In his vision, blurred by blood, the King of the alien race rode toward him on a warhorse.

“I have to go,” he said hoarsely. “Su Ruhui.”

Su Ruhui closed his eyes, tears falling like rain.

“I will come find you. Wait for me.”

“Do not put yourself in danger,” Sang Chiyu disagreed.

“I’m going to,” Su Ruhui said. “It’s not the first time I’ve saved you anyway. I happen to like the ‘hero saving the beauty’ trope.”

Sang Chiyu could no longer support himself and collapsed into the cold snow. Blood bloomed beneath him as countless monsters tentatively approached. He reached out a blood-stained hand and pulled out the collar Su Ruhui had given him as a plaything.

“Will the collar keep me connected to you?” he asked softly.

“That’s for pets…”

Before Su Ruhui could finish his sentence, he heard the system prompt—

【Monster Pet binding successful. Monster Pet: Sang Chiyu.】

Su Ruhui’s tears fell like a downpour. His heart felt as if it were being squeezed by someone, crushed until it bled.

“Once it’s on, you can’t take it off,” Su Ruhui said through his tears. “You’re my cat now. You can’t escape. Don’t you dare regret it later.”

“I won’t.”

Sang Chiyu’s voice was light and faint, like a wisp of smoke.

“Su Ruhui,” he said, “until we meet again.”