Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Yan Bubu saw Feng Chen talking to him, but he couldn't hear a word. Feng Chen's brows furrowed in concern as he rubbed Yan Bubu's ears and pinched his arms and legs, checking for any injuries.

Yan Bubu felt something moving on the side of his thigh and looked down to see a large rat climbing out of his bag and jumping to the ground.

The rat, evidently brought from the fashion city, appeared disoriented from the explosion, staggering forward as if intoxicated.

Feng Chen ignored the rat, but Yan Bubu hurriedly grabbed a rock from the ground and smashed it down on the rat, silencing it instantly.

"Don't worry, I'll handle the rats." His voice was unusually loud since he couldn't hear himself.

Feng Chen came over and massaged the acupuncture points near Yan Bubu's ears.

"Young Master, where are we heading now?"

Feng Chen thought for a moment and said, "Let's head to the second camp to find the person who can help us."

"What?"

"He's a subordinate of my father, still in Haiyun City. I'll try my luck in finding him."

"What?"

Feng Chen, not wanting to explain further, simply said one word: "Let's go."

"Okay." This time Yan Bubu heard clearly.

They continued walking. The shop set ablaze by the petrol bottle burned on, unattended. Eventually, it would extinguish once everything was consumed.

"Young Master, look." Yan Bubu suddenly tugged on Feng Chen's sleeve, gesturing for him to look to the left.

Lit by the firelight on the street side were several oddly dressed people in long robes reaching their feet, holding placards filled with characters.

Seeing Yan Bubu looking at them, one of the robed figures shouted, "This is the oracle, the call of God. Embrace it, obey it. God is summoning us to the Anbuja temple..."

"Don't look." Feng Chen turned Yan Bubu's head away and led him forward without looking back.

Yan Bubu tried to hold back, but eventually asked, "Young Master, what is Anbuja?"

Feng Chen, eyes fixed ahead, answered, "Anbuja is a cult."

"What is a cult?"

"It's an extremely evil organization."

"What is evil?"

Feng Chen resorted to paraphrasing what his father usually told him: "The Western and Eastern Federations are adversaries, but the Anbuja cult is a common enemy for both. Members of Anbuja are anti-human elements, brutal and insane."

Yan Bubu hesitantly asked, "Anti-human—"

"The Eastern Federation is like Binunu, the Western Federation is like Sasaki, and the Anbuja cult is like the Dark Wizard."

"I understand now."

After a moment of silence, Yan Bubu asked, "So, are these people Dark Wizards?"

"No, they are just fanatic worshippers."

Yan Bubu murmured in confusion, "I can't believe there are people who like the Dark Wizard..."

The person Feng Chen was looking for was named Angsen, ostensibly a captain in the Western Federation's army but actually a secret chess piece planted by the Eastern Federation.

He knew this because he had accidentally witnessed his father, Feng Zai Ping, secretly meeting with Angsen.

The Ehhardt Federation consists of five member nations, with the two largest wielding military power and situated at the eastern and western ends, known as the Eastern and Western Federations, respectively.

The Eastern and Western Federations have been expanding their territories and once even engaged in open warfare, pushing the Federation to the brink of disintegration. They later agreed to a ceasefire, dividing seven major cities between them for governance. Haiyun City, the outlier, housed troops from both sides for mutual checks and balances.

During the recent presidential election, the Eastern and Western Federations might have reached some private agreement, after which the Eastern Federation temporarily withdrew from Haiyun City.

It was unclear how long they'd be evacuating, but they certainly wouldn't return before the new president's tenure.

Before the earthquake, the Eastern and Western armies were superficially polite and followed the rules. This was also why, after the Eastern army withdrew from Haiyun City, the Feng family could delay moving.

But who could have foreseen the earthquake? In its aftermath, without any oversight, the two armies were bound to tear through that veneer and engage in an unrestrained struggle.

With the Western army all over the city, Chen Feng's only option was to find Angelson and secure a place for himself and Yan Bubu.

He couldn't openly inquire about Angelson's whereabouts from the Western army, but knowing Angelson was a captain in the Second Battalion, he hoped to encounter him if he was still alive.

The Second Battalion wasn't far, just a few streets away.

The once towering walls were gone, revealing the entire camp. Though several buildings had collapsed, tents had been erected on the open ground, with many soldiers bustling about.

Taking advantage of the darkness, the two sneaked to the edge of the camp and crouched in the shadow of a tent.

At first, Yan Bubu was very nervous, lying there, barely daring to breathe. But as the wait dragged on, boredom set in, and he began playing with pebbles nearby, entertaining himself by reciting dialogues from a cartoon in a whisper.

Chen Feng ignored him, only glancing over whenever the pebbles clinked. Yan Bubu would immediately freeze and stay quiet until Chen Feng looked away, then resume his pebble play.

Time passed indeterminately before Chen Feng suddenly tensed, his gaze fixed on a man emerging from a central tent.

Yan Bubu, sensing something unusual, dropped his pebbles and stared intently in the same direction.

It was a man in a military uniform, lighting a cigarette outside the tent, glancing around before walking off in the opposite direction and disappearing into the night.

"Let's go."

Chen Feng moved forward, crouching low, with Yan Bubu mimicking his actions as they left the camp, following where the man had vanished.

"Is that the person we're looking for?" Yan Bubu asked, once they were out of the camp and Chen Feng pulled him along as they ran.

"It's him."

"Then let's hurry—"

Yan Bubu's foot suddenly slipped into a crack, his body starting to fall before Chen Feng caught him by the back and hoisted him into the air.

Instead of putting him down, Chen Feng simply hoisted him onto his shoulder and ran forward, carrying him like a sack.

"Young, Master, catch, up, with, him," Yan Bubu managed to get out the whole sentence, despite hanging upside down and jostling about.

A flicker of surprise crossed Chen Feng's mind as he ran.

Always trained militarily, he was acutely aware of his performance data during weighted runs. Yan Bubu should weigh around forty kilograms, yet he felt unexpectedly light.

But now was not the time to ponder, as he had already spotted Angelson.

Angelson was walking far ahead in the ruins, without a flashlight. Only the occasional light of his cigarette brought to his lips briefly outlined his silhouette in the dark.

Chen Feng didn't dare call out loudly, simply following behind, watching as Angelson walked into an open area and looked to the right, as if waiting for someone.

A car approached from the right, its bright headlights illuminating Angelson's surroundings. Chen Feng didn't move forward but stopped cautiously.

It was a hover-track vehicle that stopped in front of Angelson. Several people hopped out, greeting him familiarly.

The leader was a man in a leather vest, with a full beard and bare, muscular arms. His left arm was covered in a large tattoo, while his right was a mechanical arm, shimmering with a cold metallic glow under the vehicle lights.

Following him was a young woman in a black bodysuit, her curvaceous figure strikingly sultry. A silver mask covered her left face, leaving her right side stunningly beautiful.

Chen Feng felt a stir of recognition at the sight of these two and, still carrying Yan Bubu, discreetly hid behind a rock, peeking through a gap.

Yan Bubu was actually quite uncomfortable.

He had been hung upside down all the way, blood rushing to his head, feeling a throbbing pain and discomfort from the jolting against his stomach. Yet, even as Chen Feng stood still, he endured silently, remaining inverted.

"…Angelson, my friend."

"Chu, the steward, long time no see."

Their nearby conversation carried over clearly.

The man with the mechanical arm hugged Angelson and patted his shoulder: "How have you been these days?"

"Bah, don't ask. Almost got crushed under a house," Angelson stepped back, placing his right hand over his left chest in a strange gesture, his tone respectful and solemn, "Steward Chu, is the Bishop unharmed?"

The mechanical-armed man also placed his right hand on his left chest: "The Bishop is well. He also asked me to tell you, complete your mission soon; the Sanctuary awaits your return."

Angelson's tone grew excited: "I am deeply grateful for his grace. I am willing to lay down my life for the cause, may the light of the God Helas shine upon the earth."

Hearing this, Chen Feng's heart sank.

The God Helas was the principal deity of the Anbuja religion. It turned out Angelson, aside from being a spy for the Eastern Alliance in the Western Alliance, had another, more secretive identity as a member of the Anbuja religion.

Now looking at the mechanical-armed man and the masked woman, information about Anbuja from his training days immediately came to Chen Feng's mind.

Chu Shi: One of the deacons of the Anbuja Church, 36 years old, 198 cm tall, weighing 96 kg, formerly a colonel stationed in Qinyan City of the Eastern Alliance. Military physical assessment: instantaneous explosive power 359 SJ, rapid strength 50 KS. Fled the military after his identity was exposed, losing his right arm during the pursuit and subsequently fitted with a mechanical prosthesis.

Chu Shi was ruthless and aggressive, organizing and participating in several religious massacres, causing the deaths of 4,000 civilians and 800 soldiers from both Eastern and Western Alliances, a key figure in the Anbuja organization.

Ada: Age and identity unknown, attack power unspecified, estimated instantaneous explosive power 280 SJ, rapid strength 26 KS, recognized by the silver-white Kryptonite mask on the right face. Absolute obedience to Chu Shi, participated in several religious massacres, a trusted lieutenant of Chu Shi.

All the while, Yan Bubu remained upside down, his face against Chen Feng's chest. Sensing Chen Feng's heartbeat accelerating, he reached out and patted his chest soothingly.

Only then did Chen Feng realize he was still carrying Yan Bubu on his shoulder, and he quickly squatted down to set him on the ground.

"Shh!" Chen Feng gestured towards the front, signaling caution.

Yan Bubu nodded, signaling his understanding.

Chen Feng, not entirely reassured and wary of Yan Bubu speaking out of turn, pulled him in front of the large stone, where they both peered out through the gap, one above the other.

"Did you find that thing?" Chu Shi asked Angelson.

Angelson, looking frustrated, replied, "Right after the earthquake, I got tied up with some things, allowing the Western Alliance to beat us to it. They sent people to Feng Zai Ping's residence, but despite searching through the rubble, they found nothing."

Chu Shi stroked his chin with his mechanical arm, "According to the information I've gathered, it should be in that house. Feng Zai Ping didn't trust anyone else with it, so he kept it himself."

Angelson frowned in thought, "Oh, another thing. The security at the villa area said that the young master of the Feng family returned, but the people from the Western Alliance didn't see him. Also missing is a servant's child."

"The Feng family's young master returned after the earthquake?"

"Yes, three hours after the quake."