24 Your Fucking Baby's Gonna Burn.

So let's take it from the top. After my little scrimmage with the Angels, the team and I arrived at Paradise Falls. I had long decided to leave them to their own devices. So I pitched a tent behind the diner and silently cultivated.

I needed more power. The fight with angels had taught me a lot. I know asked my self what a true Overpowered Main Character is. Are they the ones who unleash their power and destroys worlds? Are they the ones who can suppress the strongest enemies whenever faced? Or are they the ones who can use a fraction of the power to end armies, suppress, destroy, do whatever they please without ever displaying all of themselves?

I wish to be the latter. So I cultivate. I push on through the realm of body transformation. I pull the energy from the Belt of Beloth the Wise, and I train my meridians and prepare to breakthrough to Tempering Marrow. And from there, I will step into the Houtian realm of energy and take on the eight inner gates of Body Transformation.

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-3rd POV-

The sun was now up, and the Paradise Falls diner was open for business. It was a bit strange for the owner, Bob Hanson, to find so many people in his parking lot before opening. But Bai Wutong took the lead and handled the man.

As Bai Wutong and Bob Hanson spoke at a table in the diner. The rest of Team China loitered outside. They had just finished talking to Ahmanet and were highly stressed by the woman's blunt delivery of the situation.

Ahmanet had explained how the weapons created by Tie Ta were merely poking the higher angels. She then handed out angelic swords won by conquest before explaining the properties of the angels' deadly wings and the power of their angelic magic. Though the archangel Raphael wielded magic, it was unknown if all the angels could.

However, until proven otherwise, Ahmanet wanted everyone to assume that all angels could use magic, even the lower angels that possess humans. Ahmanet then used as few words as possible to tell them all that Tie Ta felt...lucky to have survived.

Ahmanet finished telling the team that Tie Ta would be cultivating until he is needed. She then pulled Amber along with her as she returned to the tent.

"So, he really isn't going to help?" Tengyi asked distressed, "What of the other team, the army of angels, and fucking baby Jesus in this shithole diner?"

"Tengyi!" Lingyue barked as she slapped him sane, " You need to relax! He is helping. That is our Boss. Our Captian. This team is getting big, and it needs structure even when he is gone. How is he supposed to gain strength if he's always looking out for us! Now stop your bitching, or I'll trade you in for the college boy."

Lingyue's words stung, but no one in Team China was phased by the brutality of her words toward Tengyi. She then looked at the team and said, "None of you understand cultivation. It is a long and vicious road. It starts with the first realm of body transformation. When that realm is conquered, at least in my manual, it splits into two roads...

The first road appears at the Pulse Condensation stage. That road cultivates energy. The second road appears after Tempering Marrow. The Second road cultivates the body. The difficulty of the path that our captain is pursuing by cultivating internal, external, and soul/mind power is immeasurable. If he's taking the same route in cultivation, he will have to train every aspect without progressing too far in any given category."

"So you're saying hie needs to be balanced at all times?" asked Ouyang Di.

"Yes. So if he is cultivating right now, it is because we are in deep shit, and we need as much power as possible," said Lingyue.

"What's after the first realm?" asked Heng.

"Houtian realm for internal energy. The Eight Inner Hidden Gates starting with the Gate of Healing for Body Refinement." Lingyue replied. "Zhuiyu, you're in charge. So, let's get this shit moving."

Zhuiyu straightened her posture and took a deep breath. "I'll be counting on all of you," she said. " We should have breakfast and meet the cast. We will let the movie play out until we're forced to intervene. Saving characters earns points, but only if we are alive to spend them."

The team nodded in agreement. They then began walking to the dinner when Zhuiyu called out for Clark Winston.

"You, dark skin, the lady wants to speak to you," said Zhuiyu.

Clark stopped the turned around. "This dark skin has a name," he said.

"No point in learning the names of the dead," she replied.

Clark tittered as he stepped closer to Zhuiyu. "Does my dark skin offend you? Or does it conjure some primal lust that makes you feel jittery in your own skin?"

Zhuiyu swallowed as she was draped in the shade that his body created. She then looked up at him. "I-I would kill you right now if it didn't cost me points," she stammered. " You will not speak to me like that."

"Then you will learn my name and address me a such before speaking to me. Lead the way, Ms. Qin."

Zhuiyu turned around took one step towards Tie Ta's tent before she realized something.

"This is Team China. And I am in charge right now." Zhuiyu spoke in a low voice, then spun on her heels to backhand the former US Secretary of State. Globs of bloody spit flew from his mouth as his body twirled in the air.

Zhuiyu walked over to her then crouched low by his head. "I barely touched you, Clark. " she whispered, " Now get up and walk it off. Don't be a pussy."

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Sometime later, Reika was standing outside of the tent talking to Clark about why he was in China.

Clark looked at the tent and the back at Reika. He then asked one question, "How likely is it that I will be going home anytime soon?"

"Not likely at all," she replied.

Clark then sighed and pointed at the tent. "That man in that tent disappeared three years ago. And every member of this time, aside from you and the girls in that tent, have also been reported as missing without a trace. Similar occurrences have been happening all over the world...

You see, I had recently become Secretary of State, and I poured over every file given to me before going to China. And three years ago, Tie Ta, aka 24K CyberScythe, hacked China. No one knew why until a file on his computer was leaked to the public. It was quickly taken down, but Beijing was attacked because of it."

"CGS," Reika muttered.

"China's Greatest Secret. Tie Ta had found missing money from the Chinese government going to small factions in India and Egypt, where artifacts were found from a time far before the age of antiquities. But the details of those artifacts were being stored in Beijing. After it was attacked, fascinating artifacts were put on the black market. Records were posted online. It was retaliation because they thought China killed Tie Ta."

Clark took a breath then continued. "Little did his friends know that the artifacts would lead to revealing a secret world. A world of monsters and advanced humans. But this world already had its alliances and structure in place. Divided by locations established by their ancestors...."

"15 factions." Reika interrupted.

"Yes," said Clark. "I was sent to China to talk alliances between them, East America, North America, Canada, and Australia."

"Is the UK not a part of your alliance?" Reika asked.

"They belong to Central... We have deduced that the factions, or teams as you call them, are based on the ancient continent Pangea Proxima locations. China and Japan were one in the high north. Russia and the Middle East were beneath China, followed by Central - all European countries. The Uk, Germany, France, and so on."

"That's enough. I will have you speak to Tie later. You can go back to the Diner." said Reika.

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Inside the tent, Ahmanet and Amber were standing motionless as they waited for Reika to return. The moment Reika's head was seen, Ahmanet asked, "So GOD was full of shit? Multiple teams went back during ancient times. That means we can all leave when we have enough points."

"We will do no such thing." Tie Ta spoke, but his eyes remained closed. "This place is a bridge to worlds unintentionally created by us. And I'm sure it could lead to worlds that existed far before us. We will get our freedom, but we won't be returning to that dull world."

"What about the team?" asked Amber. "Won't they be opposed?"

"After this team gets a taste of true power and the thrill of these missions, I will tell them my thoughts. For now, you keep that man silent about what's happening in the real world. And help the team become a better team. Now all of you go, I need to focus." said Tie Ta.

"What of the bodies?" asked Ahmanet.

Tie Ta opened an eye to see three pairs of wings on the ground with a pile of armor next to them. He then looked at the table covered in clean-cut angel parts. He closed his eye and told the women to leave everything as it was.

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-Inside the Diner, Late Morning-

The diner now had three new guests who were having car troubles. They were a small American family full of disfunction.

The father, Howard, was sick of his wife. The mother, Sandra, had contempt for her daughter and wanted so much more from her husband. And the daughter, Audrey, was a temperamental seventeen-year-old vying for attention. Together they are the Andersons.

Team China was chatting and relaxing as Bob beat the TV that was mounted on the wall.

"Lord as my witness, Bob, one of these days that thing's gonna hit you back," said Percy, the cook.

"What are you talking about, Percy?" asked Bob, "We got a special relationship here."

"Yeah, they got names for that kind of relationship." Percy quipped.

Across the diner, Howard and Sandra bickered amongst each other. Naturally was about their daughter.

"It's disgusting," said Sandra.

Howard looked over his shoulder to see his daughter bending over the jukebox in wedge pumps with her black mini skirt hiked up, revealing her purple lace panties. She was also wearing a matching black corset-style blouse with spaghetti straps as her long brunette hair rested along her back. Howard turned around and looked at his wife.

"You're right." he admitted, " It is disgusting."

"Really. How can she go out in public looking like that?" Sandra asked, low-key distraught.

"I don't know. Why don't we just ask her?" Howard spoke with a healthy amount of his annoyance. If his wife wasn't complaining about life, she complained about his daughter, whom he actually liked more.

"Howard, Don't." said Sandra as she glanced over at Team China and the diner staff, "You'll embarrass me."

Howard flashed an amused smirk. "Audrey, honey?" he called out, "Your mother was wondering if you got dressed this morning with the specific intention of showing your ass off to the entire world?"

Audrey sighed as she straightened up and turned around with a peak-level attitude. "It's because I woke up hoping to get double teamed by a couple of meth-head truckers in some bathroom of a desert shithole... It's good that we got stuck here."

Audrey then turned around as Team China found the exchange amusing.

Howard looked at his wife with a satisfied smirk. " I feel satisfied with that answer. I really do," he said.

"I'm being punished for something, I know it," Sandra whined rather over dramatically.

"Do we really have to save the bitch mother?" Yinkong asked in Chinese.

"Points are points," Zhuiyu replied. "Heng, go keep the girl company. I'm sure she'll find you more appealing than a couple of meth-head truckers."

The team laughed amongst each other, and Sandra sunk low in her booth. "Now orientals are laughing at us. Thank you! Howard!"

Heng walked over to Audrey and began to chat her up, much to her mother's displeasure.

Sometime later, the mission walked into the dinner, a blonde-haired pregnant waitress. Behind her was a black man with a tan bennie on his head, wearing a layered coat. The Team recognized him as Kyle. A single father on his way to Los Angels.

"Charlie, where have you been?" Bob asked her. "It's not a resort. We've got orders stacking up."

Bob was preparing plates left and right. Team China ate a lot, mostly because the majority of them were more than human.

"You best not be smoking again." Bob added, "Not in your condition."

"Bob, see where I'm at right now?" Charlie snapped back, "Can my condition really get any worse? Besides, you ain't one to talk."

Bob stopped and looked. " What? I quit two years ago," he said.

"Yeah? So why are you still carrying that fancy lighter around?" Charlie asked him.

"A gift from my ex-wife. I'm sentimental." Bob pulled out the brass lighter and flipped it open, then quickly closed it. "I wanna remember how much I hate her guts."

The diner chuckled.

"Hey, man, you got a phone I can use? My cell phone has no reception, and the phone booth outside is busted," said Kyle.

"Excuse me, is there any news about when our car might be fixed?" Howard rudely interrupted Kyle, " You said your boy would have us back on the road two hours ago. The rate we're going, we'll be lucky to make it to Scottsdale by Christmas."

"There won't be a Christmas this year," Lingyue spoke in Chinese with a pleasant smile.

The Americans had no idea what she had said. Bob just smiled back and nodded. He then took money from Kyle and left the Diner to check on his son's progress with the Andersons' car.

After a few minutes, Zhuiyu telepathically told Lingyue and Tengyi to handle the Anderson couple. The next moment, Lingyue and Tengyi had sat at the end of the couple's booth blocking them in.

When Tengyi started to speak good English, the couple was shocked. Tengyi then began to ask about Scottsdale and started making up bullshit to carry a conversation. That's when Amber walked into the Diner.

"Looks like we have some storm clouds rolling in," she said.

Yinkong was bout to get up and take watch outside when Amber stopped her. "Reika and Ahmanet will handle watch from this point on. Ouyang Di is staying with them."

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Sometime later, the TV went out again. Bob started banging on it like most old folks do when technology goes haywire. Only this time, when he got it to work, a TV show didn't appear. Instead, it was an emergency broadcast.

The TV beeped, and the guest of the dinner began to get anxious. They all began to speculate. Then Kyle returned, telling everyone that phones went down. Everyone could feel that something was off, but no one could quite understand it yet.

Heng was looking out the window as he talked to Audrey in the last window booth. "The old bitch is here," he spoke aloud in Chinese.

A moment later, the door chimed, and the little old lady with a walker slowly made her way inside. Her name is Gladys Foster, the old lady that would kick the movie into gear.

"Have a seat wherever you want, ma'am," said Charlie. "Specials are on the board."

Gladys found her seat at a table. She was a cheeky old lady with a smile that never seemed to weaken. Charlie walked over with a menu, but the old lady spoke first.

"I already know what I want," she said.

"Okay. What will it be?" asked Charlie.

"I'll have a steak, please," Gladys replied.

"How would you like it?" asked Charlie.

"Rare, if you would. And water, no ice."

"Coming right up." Charlie was about to walk away when the old lady spoke again.

"Charlie, is it?"

"Yeah"

"Unusual name for a girl."

Charlie looked annoyed as if she heard that saying one too many times. "So they say. I'll be right back with your water."

Under their tables, Team China slowly and discreetly loaded their guns. When Charlie came back with a bloody T-Bone cooked rare, it attracted flies. Charlie just waved them off.

"Thank you, dear. How far along are you?" asked Gladys.

Charlie smiled with a hint of excitement for her baby to be. Her life seemed a bit brighter with it, even though she planned on putting it up for adoption. "Oh, just about there," she replied.

"The father must be very proud," said Gladys.

"I wouldn't know."

Gladys looked a bit disheartened. She then asked, "He's?"

"He's out of sight, out of mind," Charlie spoke as she continued to wave the flies away from the barely cooked steak.

"I see," said Gladys, "So I take it you're not married?"

"No."

"That's too bad."

"No, I prefer it that way." Charlie spoke with confidence, then tried to make light of the topic, " I don't need a man telling me what to do."

"But what about the baby?"

"I've got it under control."

"But it's gonna burn," said Gladys with a serious tone.

Charlie's smile faded. "What did you just say?" she asked.

"I said, your fucking baby's gonna burn," Gladys repeated herself with a small smile.

The diner stopped and looked at Gladys with concerned expressions. Lingyue quickly signaled to Tengyi. Tengyi got up from his seat, freeing Howard, then walked outside.

"Go to hell, lady." Charlie slapped the receipt down on the table then stormed off.

Gladys then picked up her eating utensils and began to cut into her raw steak. She chuckled merrily as she ate, rocking side to side with joy. "All those little babies are gonna burn." she sang.

"Whoa. Whoa." The one-handed Percy chimed in from behind the bar counter.

Sandra chuckled uncomfortably. "Gladys," she said. "Umm..."

"Shut up, you stupid fucking cunt!" Gladys snapped, "All you do is Complain. Complain. Complain."

Hearing the words in person, Team China realized that the possessed Gladys was repeating the words Howard must have spoken to Sandra in the heat of a past argument.

Sandra was speechless, and Howard was furious. "What?" he said. "What. What. What did you just say?"

Howard rose from his spot. With Tengyi gone, he was now free to climb out of the booth and walk over to Gladys. Sandra tried to stop him, but he had to vent his anger.

"I don't know who the hell you think you are, but I'd like you to apologize to my wife." Howard bent down to get into Gladys' face.

In an instant, Gladys' eyes turned onyx black, and her teeth turned to fangs as she lurched forward and took a fatal bite out of Howard's neck.

Gladys then spits out the chunk of flesh while Sandra screamed for her husband. Everyone in the diner began to freak, But Team China just looked at the Lower angel it could feel the threat that came from the team.

Howard's body hit the floor as his body shook and blood spewed from his neck. Gladys grabbed the table and threw it at Team China before jumping to the ceiling.

Wutong intercepted the table. He caught it with one hand the shattered it to pieces. Team China stepped out of their booths and looked up to the ceiling with dead eyes. The main characters were screaming, and Audrey balled herself in the corner of her booth as the possessed Gladys hung from the ceiling directly above her and Heng.

Gladys looked down at Team China and hissed. "Who are you?!"

Bang!

Heng had blown a hole in Gladys' head. Her body fell from the ceiling and landed on Audrey and Heng's Table with a crash.

"Situational awareness, bitch" said Heng as he put his pistol away.

Suddenly a wave of Qi erupted. And all of Team China looked to where Tie Ta's tent would be.

"Tempering Marrow and Houtian realm at the same time. How awe-provoking," said Lingyue.

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Behind the Diner, Tie Ta used his Qi to dispel the impurities of his body. He then looked far south as he finally sensed them. Without speaking to anyone, Tie Ta shot off into the direction of Team North America.