Dramatic Terrorists

He entered the lobby for inner disciples of the Tang Sect. Karni was surprised by the scene in front of him. So many inner disciples. He had never seen so many in Tang Sect before. Then again, he was never involved in any mission back in Shrek. The Tang Sect in Shrek City let Shrek students be free of these dangerous missions.

Most of the inner disciples here wore white clothes, including Karni. Everyone also wore his AR Glasses. Karni was filled with an indescribable feeling about it. Pride? Relief? Happiness? He left a mark on this world at such a young age. He changed the way Tang Sect functioned in this age. Changed it from the original timeline. Before, they would have badges, receive a distress signal, and would not know what awaited them. The biggest advantage Karni gave to Tang Sect was convenience, efficiency, and secure communication. 

He could not read most of the AR Glasses IDs—he did not have access to information of inner disciples—but one name did stand out. Friends were not hidden. People could put each other on a friend list. Of that list, Wu Siduo was crossed out as "out of range".

"Out of range" massage appeared only if a person was in some backwater place with no connection, or, like in Karni's place, in another continent.

He approached the person, and the two looked at each other surprised. Tang Wulin was here as well.

They did not speak. Wulin only sent him a massage. He typed something in the air, seeming quite comfortable with the keyboard by now. It was not hard to adapt to this technology.

"You got the signal as well?"

Karni nodded and messaged back. "I was just renting a room below."

Wulin wrote back. "I had to come running in. Do you know what kind of terrorists we are facing? Those from that group maybe?"

Karni answered. "I don't know much. I do not remember about this incident as much. I also do not have that high level of privileges, even if I did invent the glasses."

"A shame." Wulin wrote back, before pausing, looking at Karni with surprise. He quickly continued writing. "Wait… 'remember'? What do you mean you do not remember?"

Karni sighed audibly. He was being careless. Might as well give him some clues. "The things I know about you and your troubles? I would also say 'remember'. Take that as you want."

Wulin rubbed his eyes in slight frustration. "You really have to be so secretive?"

"If I tell you too much, my memory will not be reliable anymore."

Wulin wrote with a bit of aggressiveness in his hands. "Fine."

Karni just wrote back. "Sorry not sorry." He understood Wulin's frustrations… Technically, he could have said more. But he did not want to. It gave him less control over future events.

"What does that even mean?" Wulin wrote back.

Right. Culture barrier. The expression originated from the internet in Karni's world. That wasn't such a wide-spread thing for the commonfolk here yet. "That I acknowledge you don't like what I said, but I am not really feeling guilty, or care much. Kind of."

Wulin looked at Karni, then back at the message. Then back at Karni, and finally he answered. "You're weird."

"Thanks." Karni wrote back and with that ended this little conversation.

In a few minutes, even more disciples joined, and finally, the meeting started. Two Black Agents stood in front of them all.

The man on the left started speaking: "We've received reliable information that the Green Skeleton Rebellion will launch another terror attack tonight in Star Luo City when there's a large crowd. We've obtained intel about their targeted venue for now, but we still have no idea as to where their base is located. We can only go to their targeted venue in advance and make our preparations there. I'll personally lead the team. Make ready for battle.

"The Green Skeleton Rebellion is cruel and ruthless. To prevent more civilians from getting hurt, we've been granted special permission to shoot our targets on sight. Before I relay the mission, we must confirm our identities."

The man started making the rounds. Meanwhile, Wulin massaged Karni again. "The same people that attacked the train."

Karni answered. "Yes. Seems they want more."

"You did not remember this incident but remembered the train one?"

"I remembered the train incidents because I know you have unfortunate luck with trains. This time, it's the Tang Sect we are talking about."

"So, I'm not just imagining that trains are my enemy." Wulin wrote back.

Karni chuckled on the side. "Nope. Be ready for incidents whenever you board them."

"Great…" Wulin finished the conversation, because the Black Agent had already reached them.

First to report with documents through his AR Glasses was Wulin. Karni looked at the person with the Black rank. His glasses were made slightly different, just as he remembered. Back then they made different ones for each part. Some UI functions and metals were left secret from Karni and Siduo with these alternative designs.

The man stepped to Karni. He paused a bit, then moved on. Karni however, got a message after that. "I will question you later about your privileges. You will be in my team." Karni was unable to reply to a higher ranked person, unless that person gave permission. Of course, they would question him. For a person to find out Karni was the creator of AR Glasses they would need the approval of a group of people or the Sect Leader himself. It was highly confidential information.

Back in Shrek, anyone they worked with, as well as the members in related sections that needed to be in the know were sworn to secrecy.

Karni noticed he was put on the same team as Wulin. Lucky. At least he had someone familiar with him. Well, perhaps it wasn't luck. The man probably saw they were from Douluo Continent and put them together.

They got into the Tang Sect car. Six people fit inside it. Wulin and Karni sat together. The black clothed man looked at them. "Is this your first mission?"

Both of them nodded.

"Just keep to the side and follow orders. We have reliable intel that the Green Skeleton Rebellion will use Soul Guidance Bombs. If you encounter a bomb, send a message and wait for the bomb squad. From now on, you'll be White Three and White Four." Wulin was White Three, Karni was White Four.

The two nodded again.

"But it does make me curious. White Four. What is with your privileges."

"Can I answer that in a private message?"

The man looked at him, and finally nodded, opening a channel.

Karni wrote. "I made the AR Glasses back on Douluo Continent. I was given some privileges as a reward." He gave away the confidential information without worry.

The man was clearly startled, but did not answer in text. He quickly regained his composure. If Karni was lying, he would find out eventually. The mission took precedence. "Alright. Understood."

Karni felt the somewhat false tone in his voice. It was the kind of pitch difference only he could hear, due to his sensitivity to Sound. He knew the Black Agent would likely inquire Hu Jie about this, and Hu Jie would take care of it. All the leading personnel of the Tang Sect knew about the AR Glasses. Karni did not worry about it.

What did make him worry, however, was the mission. This mission should go well, but Karni himself was—ironically—an unknown element. Doing something good might cause a negative butterfly effect instead.

The Black clothed man briefed them on the mission. "I sent you the blueprints of the building we will be staying in. Look at your positions and make sure you memorise it. We are in the Grand Star Luo Theatre, at one of its bigger events, which will be attended by many important people."

They're attacking a theatre? Karni wondered. "Wow. We have some dramatic terrorists."

The car fell silent. Everybody turned to him. He felt like he wanted to shrivel up and hide. "Sorry. I'm just calming myself down."

"Anyway, listen up." The man continued.

Meanwhile Karni secretly messaged Wulin. "Later on, help me find a cave to hide in for the rest of my days."

Wulin chuckled aloud. Another silence befell the car. "White Three. Is something funny?"

Wulin straightened up. "No, sir. I laugh when I am nervous. Especially with bad jokes."

Another White disciple chuckled. And then another joined.

The Black leader sighed. "Fine. It's good you guys relax for a bit. You'll function better afterwards. Now focus and listen to me."

It was unfortunate that Karni did not recognise a crucial point in the briefing. In the original timeline, the Grand Star Luo theatre was not attacked.

… … …

Karni was located inside a dark corner near the VIP seats. No matter when one put themselves, the theatre was highly decorated. It felt like he was spying on some royals. Even though, really, he was protecting some of them instead.

Directly below Karni was Wulin. They were stationed close to each other, and away from the action. The danger would likely come from the hidden areas of the theatre, not near these VIP seats.

The theatre play started, and it was quite an expensive looking one. Visual effects of what was likely a Soul Master with an illusion type Martial Soul. The flying was real, the combat was also real. It was quite a different experience to that of Earth, where people could only really pretend to have certain powers. It was a sight to behold. Even one of the princes was in VIP stands opposite to Karni's side, though Karni did not know which one. He only knew Dai Yueyan.

After about ten minutes of the play, Karni heard voices from below. He refocused his Sound. He could hear everything in this theatre. The backstage, the gossip of the people who weren't watching, and now, below the theatre. The battle started.

Karni set in a meditative pose, eyes closed, simply listening. He used Sound to quickly send a message to Wulin. "I'll be the scout. I'll tell you if anything happens close to us. The fighting started below the theatre."

Wulin whispered back, knowing Karni would hear it, but no one else. "Okay."

In the next moment, the first reports came in through the AR Glasses.

"Yellow Three. Killed three. Lower left basement secured."

"Purple Four. My team killed a small squad in the middle right storage. Clear."

More and more messages like these started coming through. Eventually Karni heard a whisper from Wulin one from below. "Do you hear everything?"

Karni answered. "Every little bit. So far, no casualties on our side. Though I cannot see their movements. I only listen."

"Tell me if we're close enough at any point that we can help. I'm itching for a fight. I want to help."

"Alright." Karni answered, though he did not really feel the same way. Hearing all these reports reminded him of how this event would go. No casualties, and Wulin would save the day when an eventual bomb is near him. A decently high-level Soul Cannonball. Likely rank seven, though that was Karni guessing. He didn't remember the exact details. Karni would warn Wulin ahead of time when that bomb inevitably comes close to them, and then he would exit the battle, so he wouldn't accidentally mess things up.

As long as he didn't get involved, everything should go as originally. It removed all the tension of today's event from him, now that he thought about it like that. Ah the problems of knowing the future, and events which he did not need to change. Those were the boring ones-

The whole room flashed gold in a moment. Right, he still saw the Sounds of the Future. He wondered when that would stop-

Wait, wait, wait. That wasn't supposed to happen! He saw the building itself crumble around him. The rubble and the screams. Cries for help with a giant explosion. The light faded. Karni had a heavy breath. Calm down. What did this mean?

He looked around the whole theatre. It was so grand and so royal. Was it supposed to be? Something bugged him. He sat down and focused his hearing away from the battle. The hallways. Find whoever had that Soul Cannonball. Where were they? Should be a removed group like originally.

His Sound travelled through the hallways of the whole theatre, seeking its target. Did these hallways have to be so wide and big? He searched through all the underground halls, then the middle section, then the upper, where he and Wulin were located. And here he found them. A splintered group of the Green Skeleton Rebellion.

"Bastards. It's the Battle Soul Hall's men. Get ready to fire the rank-nine fixed Soul Cannonball. Bury them all inside!"

What? Rank nine? No, no, no, no, no. That would not just level the building, but a small town! But… shit. These guys were on the same floor, but they were not close.

"This is White Four. I have a Sound based Martial Soul. I just heard talk of a rank-nine fixed Soul Cannonball in the upper part of the theatre. Requesting immediate backup."

"White Four. Backup will be unavailable for another minute. Stall. White Three. You are close by. Help White Four."

Wulin quickly joined Karni above. Karni nodded, face serious. "Follow me. They are at the very end. And stay quiet. That person is not weak."

Wulin followed. He immediately started thinking of countermeasures. "Can you teleport the rank-nine Soul Cannonball?"

Karni shook his head. "If I don't have enough Spiritual Power, or if I'm not careful, I might just accidentally cause the damn bomb to explode." No, there might be one way, but… it was not a guarantee. Best to play it safe when it comes to a potential destruction the size of a small town.

"Shit." Wulin said. "Karni, you'll be leading this."

Karni breathed in. Right. He had more information. He couldn't be indecisive now. He shared his vision with Wulin. "Follow. Don't hesitate to make decisions without me if needed. I can adapt before you even do it."

Wulin nodded.

The two made their way through a backward route, partly through the ceiling, finally hiding behind a giant red curtain. The men with the bomb drew near. He sent a voice message to Wulin, their plan of action was decided. Stalling. That person felt like a Soul Emperor at least. This would be difficult. And there were two of them as well.

Karni Shifted instantly. He appeared directly above the man who held the rank-nine Soul Cannonball. His eyes focused, Purple Demon Eyes working at full power with Golden Insight. His Soul Power circulated with absolute control. His bloodline circulated to give at least a split-second hesitation from the opponent. The focus he exuded made it feel like time slowed down.

He had to fix this. His actions, whether it be something like being on this continent before, or their efficient actions on the train, caused a small butterfly effect, and he had to take responsibility for that.

He hit the hands of the man holding the bomb, and the man immediately released it due to the shock. Then Karni Shifted again. Wulin appeared next to the bomb. Golden might and domineering bloodline exploding. Wulin grabbed the bomb and jumped away so hard he cracked the whole floor into pieces. He needed to get the bomb out. He already had an escape route planned.

Karni's eyes shined gold with the second Soul Ring's purple. The opponents paused. Karni rushed, Shifting to Wulin, running with him. He'd be the cover, as he had more ways to stall.

The other member, who was the weaker one, showed his Soul Rings. Seven of them. Agility type. The man reached them in an instant. Shit. If this man had the weaker aura… Karni felt chills as he noticed eight rings appearing from the other member.

The fact Karni was strong in Spiritual Power seemed like such a blessing right now. Not even Soul Douluos were guaranteed to reach Spirit Abyss. And based on that man… Karni saw the man transform directly into a half elephant like form. Thank gods he was a Strength type.

What would usually be a perfect team to deliver a terrifying bomb to the worst place, strength and agility combined, became their detriment. Karni's eyes shined a beautiful gold. Vision Bestowal and Sonic Rhythm raged around the whole place. Karni's Sound included. It raged with high and low dissonant frequencies.

It was a destabilisation of the Spiritual Power at the highest point he could achieve. His other abilities would not do him good against such powerhouses.

But people of such a radical group were not known to have a lot of patience. Their Soul Skills exploded in tandem. Even if Karni's Spiritual Power was their crux right now, they were still many, many ranks above both Wulin and Karni. The agility Soul Master dashed past Karni before he could even catch him, while the Strength type increased in size by at least two times.

Wulin stopped in place in a split second as the agility type exploded, then jumped straight up, through the floor, making a hole. Damaging the theatre was not nearly as bad as all of it and its surroundings destroyed. Wulin was glad for Karni's future sight now more than ever. The agility type overshot, not expecting the unpredictability in Wulin's movement. That left Karni alone with the raging maniacs.

Karni spun, looking into their eyes. Vision Bestowal. Then his Sonic Rhythm exploded with full might. Above them was released the Sound of the mightiest explosion Karni could imagine. The "bomb" exploded—the two Soul Masters, as soon as they heard, started running, before the bomb would engulf them—or so they thought.

By the time they stopped and saw that there was no explosion coming, as Karni faked the sound, Karni was already gone, along with Wulin. The two looked at each other from a distance. Their seventh rings exploded.

Karni caught up to Wulin, but he sensed the energies behind. They were catching up faster than he expected. "The roof! Now!" The aura of a rank-nine Soul Cannonball was not something they had the skill to hide. They were practically advertising their position to the two.

Wulin broke to the roof level and the night sky greeted them. The two ran further and Karni also kept on notifying his position to the team leader. They finally got information about what was keeping them occupied. There was a Titled Douluo below ground acting as a distraction so the Soul Douluo and Soul Sage that were chasing Karni and Wulin could trigger the bomb. The good thing was, they only needed to survive for a while.

The enemies reached the rooftop and dashed directly at them. An Elephant and a Shadow with eyes. The shadow broke the sound barrier twice over and dashed past them with ease, stealing the bomb back. But he stopped at the end, trying to activate it. Karni was waiting for that chance. 

He Shifted, replacing himself with the man, getting the bomb back. Where the living shadow reappeared, Wulin exploded in a Golden radiance—his Golden Soul Rings active along with his bloodline. Golden Dragon Shakes the Earth—Shakes the Roof—summoned a bunch of dragons, throwing the Shadow Avatar further away, before he switched that into Golden Dragon Flies, further attacking the Strength system approaching.

He exploded with speed into the Soul Douluo, but the man, in his full Elephant Avatar form, just activated a single Soul Skill and swatted Wulin like a fly. Wulin might be amazing for his age, but this was a Soul Douluo using his Avatar. Even Wulin's strength could not compare.

But Wulin's second Golden Ring shone in the moment of swatting, and he quickly rebounded, attacking the Strength type again with far more power. Golden Dragon Tyrant body took the attack and absorbed its power, as long as it didn't go over three times his defensive prowess.

Unfortunately, because Karni was running away with the bomb, Wulin was left alone, and the shadow recovered and crashed into Wulin's side, redirecting his attack.

Wulin knew he would miss and delayed his attack. The agility system dashed directly toward Karni.

Karni Shifted Wulin directly in the path of the agility system Soul Master. The two crashed, and Wulin injured the Soul Sage Agility system with the full might of the released skill now. Soul Rings shone from the shadow. Fifth and sixth.

They weren't out of trouble yet. A giant elephant suddenly started falling on Karni. The Soul Douluo's eighth Soul Ring shone with abyssal blackness.

Karni didn't know what that would do, but his life was in danger. He threw the bomb at Wulin and Shifted away. Wulin never caught the bomb. The Shadow took less damage than expected, apparently decently resistant to physical attacks. He caught the bomb midair.

When Karni looked back at the Elephant, he saw it transform into tiny bone-like razors that just… erased the roof around the part from existence. Not even dust remained. His blood turned cold.

Then he turned to Wulin. Oh no. He thought that the injury would be enough to delay the agility system before he threw the bomb. Now the enemy had the weapon of mass destruction again.

Karni Shifted as soon as he could, replacing the Shadow with himself. He heard the anger of the Shadow from behind. Anger at being teleported again.

Karni had the bomb but… it was active. He heard the beeping.

He was about to throw it, but felt a golden shape attack him from behind. The Elephant Soul Master. He tossed the bomb to Wulin. "Throw as hard as you ca-" He was punched away. Multiple bones in his body shattered in an instant. He puked blood.

He watched Wulin, throwing with full might—the Elephant Soul Master caught Wulin. Breaking his arm. The bomb flew to the sky, but it wasn't enough. A rank-nine Soul Cannonball would still engulf them all.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit. Fuck. Nothing else to do." He Shifted next to the bomb, already high in the sky, then split the staff into drumsticks and threw one far in the air as strong as he could. His body ached as he threw it. "Please be high enough."

From the corner of his eye, he saw the Shadow rush toward his drumstick. "No!"

Wulin exploded in that moment, breaking free of the Strength System in an instant—he broke free of Mu Ye once, he could break free of a Soul Douluo, then jumped straight into the agility system without finesse, crashing into him.

Karni's eyes turned determined. If Wulin could do that, he could do this. He focused. "Hop, lend me some power."

His drumstick glowed in silver colour. His Black Soul Ring glowed with might. Shift. He appeared in the sky. He switched the drumsticks, using them as the central focus on what to teleport. It turned out to be incredibly stable. The bomb was still in his hands.

"Hahaha. Suck on that you fucking terrorists!" His joy could not compare to the splitting headache he just caused himself. He used up all of his Spiritual Power. He looked down. Good. That should be more than high enough.

Then the beeping intensified. Oh no. He was next to the bomb. He threw it further up, knowing that it wouldn't help.

The bomb exploded. But not before a black flash took him down to the rooftops. Karni watched the explosion up in the sky, enveloping a wide enough range that he could barely notice the end. He spit blood, then recollected his senses. What happened?

The other Black Agent of Tang Sect that was there at the briefing saved him. An agility system. He looked around. The two terrorists lay on the ground, unconscious, another Black Tang Sect member, their squad leader, was looking at Wulin's injuries.

The man looked between the two. "Good lads! You just saved a lot of lives."

The agility system grunted. "This was bigger than expected. Another Titled Douluo attacked us at the end. Though that one ran away. We were lucky enough to reach you in time."

Karni breathed deep. This was the first time his memory and meta knowledge turned to work to his detriment. Now he knew. A small change like him helping on the train caused a different scenario here. His blood turned cold. At home, when they helped Wulin with the Evil Soul Master... that would likely leave problems as well. He'd have to be on guard once he returned.

Wulin looked at the two. "Thank you."

"No, it should be us who should be thanking you."

They received a message. "Reporting to Black One. The sweep is complete. There are no bombs remaining."

The man next to Wulin looked to the one next to Karni. "Black Two, leave a little tip for the damages the theatre suffered. The rest of us should leave before this gets noisy."

… … …

In the car, Black One—their squad leader—took off his mask, revealing his true appearance. He smiled at the two. "You two did great. You were decisive when you had to and likely saved the whole operation. Not to mention you two single-handedly held back a Soul Sage and Soul Douluo, and not only managed to stall, but even solve the whole problem. When we return, both of you will receive great merit. I promise you this."

The rest of the Tang Sect members looked at Karni and Wulin in silent amazement. Black One rarely praised anyone. Any suspicion he might have had of Karni was gone as well.

But Karni had to fight to keep his consciousness going. Thankfully his next match was not tomorrow. He'd pay for the healing facilities Tang Sect offer for inner members. He just received a deposit of 30.000 contribution points with that great merit. This will not only finance the healing, but it should be enough to let him finish his Guardian Greatsword prototype for his battle with Yun'er.

He couldn't help but smile. This was good. But the reward was secondary. What mattered more was that he did something good today. He managed to give today a happy ending together with Wulin. He also gained a new appreciation of his abilities. 

If not for his hearing, future sight, Shifting. He was arguably better equipped for fighting stronger people than Wulin. In a life-or-death situation, Karni could almost guarantee himself to live. Wulin could not.

He had been getting impatient by not having any skills on his Panda, but today, he was sure that those skills would not have been useful. All his current skills served a purpose.

Karni returned to the hotel tired and laid on the bed, relieved that everything was okay. But he was filled with worry. His dreams were not comfortable. Instead, they were filled with dangers of the future and the terrible change he could cause.