Chapter 48 Cleaning the Ground_1

A fat slob's happy dream.

Perhaps, having gained in strength, his mind felt a lot steadier too, and he no longer dreamed that weird dream of him going to Vienna's Golden Great Hall to perform "The Little Widow Visiting the Grave."

After waking up, he sat in the garden and practiced the piano for two hours, as usual, before Huai Shi received a call from Ai Qing.

"Get out now, and wait at the door. Someone will pick you up," she said. "We've found a trace of King Ocean."

They didn't even need the state apparatus; once the Xinhai Special Affairs Office got into gear, it was almost as if a seamless heavenly net had been cast over the entire Xinhai.

With the Sublimator monitoring conducted by Ai Qing through the Astronomical Society and the channels Special Affairs Department had among ordinary people; the two sides began to cooperate, turning the whole of Xinhai into a glass fishbowl.

Laid bare.

Under his almost insane taunting, all the external transient population had been examined in just over a day, and after the local guys with criminal records were dragged out for a beating several times, they finally found King Ocean's whereabouts through ubiquitous surveillance and searches.

It was an abandoned manor on a wild mountain outside the city.

In short, it was the second-ranked haunted house in Xinhai...

After Huai Shi learned about this, he was almost amused to the point of laughter.

Fuck, what are you guys plotting? Trying to steal the top spot on my haunted house ranking?

Once King Ocean's movements were confirmed through surveillance, the Special Affairs Department already sprang into action, with numerous tough guys, armed to the teeth, chopping at the bit as they jumped into the vehicles, all set and ready to go. Director Fu really seemed to be fuming from the bomb incident.

After Huai Shi arrived, he was stuffed into Ai Qing's car and set off for the outskirts of the city. Within half an hour, Huai Shi, who had been shoved into a bulletproof vest and helmet, arrived bewildered at the base of the wild mountain.

"Satellite surveillance is complete, there are traces of human movement inside the manor."

An on-site investigator returned to report: "There's a target whose physique matches King Ocean's quite closely, but it's not confirmed. Should we send up a drone?"

"Drones are too easy to spot," said Director Fu, peering through binoculars for a long while before starting to discuss an attack plan with his subordinates based on the manor's map. As a member of the Astronomical Society and the only Sublimator fighter, Huai Shi was also crammed into the first group set to enter the manor, now shivering with fear.

"How does this thing work, where's the safety?"

He tried to pretend he didn't recognize the automatic rifle in his hands, harboring a glimmer of hope that he could escape from the situation. But his attempt resulted in being tied to a vehicle by the tough guys.

"Wait, I'm a victim too! Why do I have to participate in the offensive..." he clutched the door, not wanting to get in, and wailed loudly, "If you need a Sublimator, go find Old Liu! Old Liu is so powerful! One glare and there's not a single breathing soul left. I'm just a double bass player who can only turn into an Axe and embarrass himself, please spare me... Fuck, don't hit people, not the face, hey... I've done meritorious service for Xinhai, I've bled for the Astronomical Society, I want to see Ai Qing! I want to see Ai Qing!"

"..."

Ai Qing, sitting in the car, shifted her gaze away expressionlessly, struggling not to sigh: "Forget it, just let him act with me."

Director Fu couldn't bear to watch anymore either, waved his hand to signal his subordinates to stop pulling him; any more and this son of a bitch would start yelling 'Special Affairs Department is assaulting people' or some other pompous phrases.

Tsk... What are these young people thinking nowadays?

How good Liu DongLi used to be, braving winds and rains, willing to venture into Dragon Pool Tiger Den for a reduced sentence. Had I known, I should've caught this guy and sentenced him for a few years as well.

He sighed and looked down at the blueprint on the table.

The abandoned manor on the mountain had been around for some time, and there were many such deserted buildings nearby Xinhai. Most were built during the glorious period of more than ninety years ago when Xinhai's economy was booming. However, as the economy worsened, the wealthy dwindled, along with the local real estate industry plummeting.

Countless under-construction buildings became unfinished structures, and there is even a Dragon Horse Building in the old city area that has not been completed to this day.

Time-wise, it was also the same era as the Stone Marrow Pavilion.

But unlike Huai Shi's unlucky circumstances, this place had decayed early in the wind and rain, leaving only a few Tomb Guardians to modestly repair a few houses for accommodation. Later, due to rumors of it being haunted, even the graveyard lost its watchers and completely went into decline.

Now, according to satellite surveillance, there were several traces of human movement in the dilapidated manor, and apart from King Ocean, there could be other Sublimators present.

It was likely that the Savior Association's remaining core members were hiding here, and there might even be reinforcements sent by the backstage organization. Just thinking of some lunatic stirring up trouble in Xinhai again gave him a headache.

"Is everyone prepared?"

After triple-checking, Director Fu also inspected his weapons and bulletproof vest and took the lead, boarding the vehicle with the first assault team.

"So we're starting the operation just like that?"

Ai Qing seemed perplexed and soon raised her hand as a signal, "Wait a moment, I'll make a call."

.

.

Meanwhile, within the nearly collapsed main building on the fourth floor of the abandoned manor on the mountain, a shadow was crawling behind a broken wall, peering down the mountain through binoculars.

"Are you sure that guy from the Astronomical Society will take the bait?"

The Observer, nervously clutching the phone, said, "We've been waiting here for two days, how come there's not even a hint of a shadow?"

"Don't be impatient, it's almost time," came King Ocean's voice over the phone. "I deliberately made a round in the city. If they don't notice that, Special Affairs Department might as well disband."

"The Lord is giving you one last chance," the Observer said irritably. "Better think about how to atone for your sins. I really don't see the point of capturing that Little Brag."

While speaking, he softly whistled twice, soothing the Shadow Beasts hidden in the ruins above, which were stirring as if they smelled fresh blood.

"You only have leverage in negotiations when you have a hostage, dumbass!"

King Ocean's voice rose with impatience on the phone, "If we're lucky, we could wipe out the entire Astronomical Society of Xinhai in one fell swoop. What plans couldn't we accomplish then? They've gone up the mountain, and there's the military from the Special Affairs Department; you guys better not screw anything up."

"Four Sublimators, ten Shadow Beasts, and over ninety Avenging Demons—even if the military from the Special Affairs Department shows up, they won't have an easy time."

The Observer revealed a bloodthirsty smile, "I really want to see whether that pretty-boy Cowherd and that crippled woman are as mysterious as you claim."

Click.

The call was disconnected.

That eerie shadow curled up in the darkness, concealing all its presence like a hibernating snake. The entire manor fell silent in an instant, without a single sound to be heard.

The chirps of birds and insects rose once more, making the ruins seem even more sinister.

The speeding convoy halted abruptly on the mountainside. At the base, someone rolled out a mortar, and following the commands, thunder roared.

Soon, shells rained down from the sky, blasting the entire eastern side of the manor ruins to smithereens, with huge craters exposed in the cloud of swirling dust.

Still no abnormal movement, only faint screams of panic could be heard from inside the manor.

"Continue?" asked Director Fu, peering through his binoculars from the passenger seat.

"Wait a moment."

Ai Qing in the car looked up toward the manor with an expressionless face, lifting her phone and saying to the other end, "I need a longsword for cleanup."

Three minutes later, a sorrowful wail sounded in the sky.

The dark silhouette of a Steel Flying Bird burst through the clouds, roaring past the speed of sound above the earth, releasing a pure white steel arrow from beneath its wings, tracing an arc as it plummeted toward the ground.

In that moment, the figure crouching on the rooftop stared in shock.

What the hell is that?

Boom.

The object landed.

The next instant, a violent roar and blaze erupted from the earth, shaking the entire mountain. Amidst the surging flames and sweeping pressure, the ruins of the manor once again moaned under ferocious assault.

In the horrendous explosion, the sweeping pressure completely crushed the manor into rubble, while countless steel fragments scattered death in every direction, with sharp noises bursting forth continuously.

A massive crater appeared right in the middle of the manor, and the molten earth, turned to lava, flowed upon the charred land, while noxious fumes and dust spread amidst the violent winds.

A missile!

There was no time for any reaction as a low whistling sound burst forth from the sky once again.

The shadow of the Steel Flying Bird returned once more.

After dropping something in the air, it flew off toward the edge of sight, leaving only a muffled boom to spread through the mid-air.

Then, white smoke trailed down toward the earth along with something else.

Like an inverted growing tree.

It was as if cruel angels were shedding feathers from the clouds, so sacred lights and pure white fog enveloped the land, bringing equal destruction and incineration.

The terrifying temperature burst forth in an instant as the ghostly objects landed, with blue and crimson flames erupting from within. The scorching Burning Wind enveloped every corner, as if it were a thin layer of white veil, covering everything in its path with that horrendous fire.

The flames danced wildly on the earth, upon the stones, through the ruins, and in the flesh, bringing temperatures capable of melting steel and producing smog and fog to wreck the lungs.

In just an instant, the destruction wrought by the White Phosphorus Incendiary Bombs descended upon the ruins, with dancing phosphorus vapor and flames flowing like water, penetrating every crevice without exception.

Burn, burn, burn.

First came the missile's daunting impact, followed by the terrifying heat of white phosphorus. Lastly, the toxic fog completely annihilated all living things.

The entire mountaintop was shrouded in destruction.

On the mountainside, everyone gaped at the scene of devastation, witnessing dozens of monstrous entities over several meters tall screaming as they fled from the flames, struggling on the ground, writhing, scraping the teal flames off their whitened bones, only for the vicious fire to reignite from within the marrow.

Until eventually, they lay crawling on the ground, motionless, leaving nothing but slowly carbonizing remains in the fire and the sound of bones shattering in the conflagration.

"..."

The crowd stared dumbfounded at the ruins before them. Director Fu turned to look at Ai Qing, "You don't want any survivors? Weren't white phosphorus incendiary bombs banned?"

"Only those who survive count as survivors," said Ai Qing calmly, waving her hand, "Anyone who preaches humanitarianism to terrorists definitely has a screw loose."

"..."

"Alright, we can move in now."

Ai Qing instructed, finally glancing at Huai Shi, "We can go in now. You're coming, right?"

"Yes, yes, yes!"

Huai Shi nodded vigorously, "I am a brick of the Astronomical Society; wherever I'm needed I'll go. Hey, someone bring me my Fire Kirin AK!"