Chapter 9: The Crash and the Bear

Night. In the dead, silent high altitude, a huge transport plane weaved through the clouds below, engines thundering deafeningly, its fuselage bearing the silver emblem of the Human Alliance, flying steadily toward Yuhai City.

The transport hold was dim, cold as a tomb.

Two fully armed guards leaned against the bulkhead on duty. Though armed to the teeth, their expressions stayed taut, and every so often they threw a glance toward a corner, eyes mixed with disgust and a heavy dose of wariness.

A younger guard spoke in a low voice, annoyance bleeding through his tone.

“Such bad luck… They actually had us escort this thing to Yuhai City.”

That “thing” referred to the silhouette deep in the cabin, wrapped in layer after layer of black energy field.

That is, the special death-row prisoner the Saintess had asked to see.

“I honestly don’t get it. Why does the Saintess specifically want to see her?”

The middle-aged guard beside him gave a derisive snort, face full of contempt.

“The Saintess is kind-hearted. Maybe she wants to see for herself whether this woman is truly so heinously evil. She probably can’t believe someone so cruel exists in this world.”

“Still needs confirmation?” the young guard frowned.

“That case spread across all of Universal Accord long ago. She butchered her own kin, even old people and kids didn’t escape. The evidence is laid out plainly. There are even tons of videos.”

“I think the Saintess isn’t trying to listen to her excuses.” The middle-aged guard raised an eyebrow, putting on a confident look.

“The Saintess can grant us strength… and maybe… she can also take back the power of heretics.”

The young guard froze. “Take back power?”

“Yeah.” The middle-aged guard nodded. “Once her heavenly source power is drained away, I don’t believe she can stay alive. Then we execute her on the spot. Consider it eliminating a blight for the people.”

“Is that so? Not bad then.”

…

The two didn’t bother to lower their voices. Every word clearly reached the captive figure in the transport hold.

Within the black force field’s center, the black-haired girl floated silently in midair.

Her whole body was still strapped tight by special restraining clothes, limbs locked in place, even raising her head was a struggle. Messy black hair covered most of her face. Her remaining right eye was hollow and lifeless, like a dried pond, dead beyond recovery.

Listening to the guards’ cold, disgusted words, listening to them talk about her crimes… the black-haired girl gave the barest, near-imperceptible tremor.

Deep in her eyes, a faint trace of pain was slowly spreading.

She didn’t struggle. Didn’t defend herself.

Only an inaudible voice repeated over and over in her heart:

[I… didn’t want to kill them…]

Really,

never wanted to.

That voice, full of regret and self-blame, kept echoing inside her mind.

And just as the black-haired girl writhed in inner pain, a violent shockwave of energy tore through the clouds like lightning, striking from afar toward the transport plane.

The alarm had barely sounded, the two guards had barely risen, no one had time to realize what was happening…

[BOOM!!!]

A massive sound that shook heaven and earth exploded out!

The entire plane lurched violently. The right wing was punctured clean through by a sudden burst of terrifying energy! Metal twisted and snapped, the engine detonated instantly, fire roaring skyward.

“Wh-what’s going on?!”

“Enemy attack!!!”

Before the guards’ cries even died down, the plane was already out of control and plummeting, like a bird with broken wings, crashing madly toward the ground!

It happened so fast there was no time to react. The transport tumbled through the clouds like that, crippled and tearing apart, then slammed hard into a barren mountain range.

[BOOM!!!]

The earth shuddered violently. Dust and smoke billowed up into the sky.

… …

… …

??

What,

is going on?

Knocked senseless by the violent impact for a moment, the black-haired girl quickly regained consciousness.

When she reopened her eyes, the transport had completely broken apart. The nose was buried deep in the ground, the fuselage snapped into several pieces, flames blazing out of control.

Inside the cabin was a horrific mess.

The two guards who had been talking moments ago had been shattered to bits in the violent crash and explosion, not even an intact body left.

Of the whole transport cabin, only one being had escaped fatal harm.

That was the black-haired girl wrapped in the black energy field.

That same black field that was supposed to imprison her had, in this crash, become the perfect shield protecting her body.

Though uninjured, she was still completely immobile.

She could only look around dazed, staring at the inferno around her.

[What… happened?]

And at that moment,

“You… all of you!! What are you doing?! This is a Universal Accord transport ship!!”

A hoarse scream suddenly came from outside the cabin.

The girl recognized that voice. It was the officer who had brought her out of prison earlier.

But just as she turned her gaze toward the source of the sound,

the scream stopped mid-way.

The next second.

[Crack!!!]

The already deformed cabin door was grabbed by a hand and torn clean off with ease!

The entire alloy door panel was tossed aside like a piece of paper. The heavy crash made the ground tremble.

A figure stepped slowly into the ruined cabin.

It was a tall man.

He wore tight black clothes, with a sinister bearing, gray hair hanging loose. At the corner of his mouth was a faint, contemptuous, cold smile.

The moment this man entered her sight, the black-haired girl’s pupils violently contracted.

The previously hollow eyes quietly flooded with seething, murderous intent.

Without a doubt, she recognized this man.

“Long time no see, Miss Nan Muxi.”

Bearing her cold stare, the man sauntered over and stood above the black energy field.

Looking down at her.

“Remember me? Garozzo.”

As he spoke, he studied her face with amusement.

Noting the shift in her expression, Garozzo gave a dismissive snort.

“That look… not bad. Looks like you still remember me. My brother, and that worthless nephew of mine, both thanks to your ‘care.'”

“Thanks to you, they’re ‘sleeping’ very soundly now.”

The moment those words left his mouth, Garozzo’s smile vanished. Murderous intent burst from his eyes.

Without giving Nan Muxi a chance to react, he raised his hand, seized the sword at his waist, and thrust it straight out without mercy!

[Shluck!!]

A surge of mighty heavenly source power shattered the black energy field. The cold blade tip, unobstructed now, pierced clean through Nan Muxi’s heart.

Blood gushed out instantly.

Agony swept through her body. Nan Muxi shuddered violently, but with the restraining suit pressing her down, she couldn’t even cry out. She could only bite her lip hard, eyes still wide, fixing her stare on Garozzo.

…

“Hmph.”

Garozzo saw that the black-haired girl was still alive, and her gaze had grown even more venomous. Obvious surprise flickered in his eyes.

“Tch… You can’t even die from that?”

He frowned, casually pulling out his sword. Blood splattered.

“No wonder you escaped from that Dark Abyss.”

Garozzo drew out a tissue and slowly wiped the blood from his blade, his tone icy.

“That look? Are you asking why I’m here?”

“Is there even any need to ask?”

“Of course, Marshal wants to avoid trouble. Heavy as that blood aura of yours is, the Saintess would probably detest you anyway, but… better to be safe.”

“So, come back with me. Don’t worry. On behalf of my brother and my ‘nephew,’ I’ll take great ‘care’ of you.”

When he said the word ‘care,’ Garozzo practically ground his teeth.

And the hostility in his eyes was not lost on the black-haired girl.

Realizing,

that in the end, she was still doomed to become an experiment,

a dead silence of despair seeped up from the bottom of her heart, like a tide swallowing her whole.

Had she known it would end like this,

back then…

she might as well have died in the Dark Abyss.

At least then… her parents, her brother… they could have lived…

Yes,

sorry.

With that, Nan Muxi slowly closed her eyes, her heart as good as dead.

“Hmph, regretting it now? If you had just cooperated with the Marshal from the start, wouldn’t that have been fine?”

Not wasting any time, Garozzo reached out directly, preparing to yank her up and carry her off.

The Alliance transport had crashed. The forces from Yuhai City nearby would probably arrive soon.

He had to hurry.

However,

just as Garozzo’s fingers were about to touch Nan Muxi, this martial artist at the Yaogu realm suddenly froze.

The air… seemed to have grown colder?

And at this moment, he seemed to feel some strange gaze upon him?

Huh?

There’s no one else here?

Garozzo straightened up, a slight frown creasing his brow. Feeling odd, he slowly turned his head.

To look at the cabin corner.

To the source of that strange gaze…

His sight landed.

There sat a small-to-medium, pure white furry teddy bear plush.

It sat quietly, perfectly still, on the scorched and fractured floor, as though it had been there from the very start.

A clean, pure white bear plush, appearing in this burning, hellish wreckage.

Everything about it clashed with the scene.

Garozzo’s expression turned strange. The heavenly source energy around him grew disturbed.

For some reason, in that instant, an inexplicable chill crept up his back.

“Why?”

“Why would a plush be here?”

“No, that’s wrong… when I came in, there wasn’t one, right?”

His voice, full of confusion, quietly echoed through the space.

And the bear?

Still sat there quietly. Its button-like black eyes pointed straight at where Garozzo stood.

Motionless.

As if,

it had been watching him all along. Or rather, watching the despairing black-haired girl behind Garozzo…

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