Chapter 50: Thunderbolt (II)

Chapter 50: Thunderbolt (II)

It was akin to the playful sparks that had erupted from the young man's fingertips during their first encounter.

Bolting Lion stood atop its perch, looking down upon the aerial vehicle with pinpoint pupils in its tawny-brown eyes.

The lightning in the sky fell silent for an instant, but then the lion let out an even more furious roar.

"ROAR! ——" Its front paws dug into the ground, baring its fangs as it unleashed a mighty howl.

Its roar was laced with agony, followed by an even more terrifying thunderous assault.

"Buddy! You're impressive! I yield! ...But let's still descend to safety!" The captain of the guards struggled to stabilize the aircraft as he shouted, "We have more powerful weapons! There's no need for such a primitive clash of mental energy! This lion is in a state of distress, it'll attack anyone it sees... – Even if you're someone familiar, it won't matter!"

"Keep the altitude! Climb higher!" Rong Mi held onto the handrail above the cabin door. "Don't panic! If we start firing weapons at each other... it won't end without one of us being defeated!"

The guard captain: "......."

He felt that he was probably losing his mind too.

Relying on his years of experience, he deduced that the optimal course of action at this moment was to descend the aircraft back to the ground, summon heavy weaponry to forcefully breach the protective barrier, and eliminate the lion that was attacking the security detail.

It had been a decade since he graduated from military academy, five years of which were spent serving in the legion, followed by another five years as the captain of the security detail. He held the highest command over the Academy's security forces, a position that would equate to a commander of an armor squad within the legion.

The aircraft was at his mercy, and he could easily descend per his own judgment. Yet, it seemed as though his body had a will of its own.

Not only had it not declined, but it was also abiding by the instructions of this young man beside him, who held only an authorization letter and held no official military rank—yet was guiding them to ascend rapidly.

Living constantly under the threat of being struck by lightning from a lion, or perishing in a plane crash.

Captain of the Guard: "…I'll trust you this one time!"

His mind surrendered.

It had to be said that in this clash of lightning and flames, he felt a long-lost surge of passion.

And it reminded him of many years ago, back in his most inexperienced days at military academy, when there was a phrase he used to utter frequently.

We do not abandon any comrade until the very last moment of our lives.

Violet spirit energy collided repeatedly with the lightning bolts above the aircraft, their intensity escalating with each strike. The lion was in a frenzy, recklessly overextending its mental domain without concern for the consequences.

Rong Mi squinted through the tempest of colliding energies, glimpsing the lion through the flashes of lightning. He muttered to himself, "I knew you wouldn't be that easy to deal with."

In the young man's left pocket, Damon the rabbit remained still and compact. In his right pocket, the wolf had pushed aside the fabric, its paw protruding, seemingly eager to escape.

"Be careful," Rong Mi nudged the wolf's paw gently. "Don't move around, what if you fall out!"

He returned the paw to his pocket, pausing to squeeze the wolf's paw pad. He asked, "Ayin, can you physically subdue the lion?"

The silver wolf howled, "Awooo!"

No problem at all!

Obediently, its paw retreated back into the pocket, while its head emerged. The wolf's silver fur was tousled by the gale, but its ice-blue eyes held a resolute expression.

"Then it'll be up to you in a bit!" Rong Mi stroked the wolf under its chin before addressing the captain of the guards, "Move closer to the building."

The aircraft had ascended to an altitude parallel with Sandel's, but it was still some distance from the building.

The captain of the guards wiped the sweat off his forehead and resignedly said, "Fine!"

The aircraft spun in mid-air, leaving a graceful S-shaped trail as it did its utmost to dodge the lightning bolts.

Rong Mi whistled and said with a smile, "Impressive, Brother!"

Though his tone was casual, his gaze was fixed intently on the gap in the building.

The aircraft seemed like a suicide bomb, covered in a purple glow, as it barrelled through the barrage of lightning and headed straight for the building.

The Thunder Roaring Lion's roar echoed through the heavens.

Amidst the chaotic energy waves, the lion loomed before them. Rong Mi stepped out onto the edge of the aircraft and leaped forward! —

Rong Mi: "Ayin!! ——"

Midair, the wolf tore open Rong Mi's pocket with a claw and lunged forward like a silver bullet.

With breathtaking velocity, it was enveloped in a burst of silver radiance, revealing the imposing silhouette of a majestic silver wolf. It fearlessly charged towards the charging Thunder Lion.

"ROAR!!! ——" The Thunder Lion stumbled, infuriated. It rose on its hind legs, crackling with electric flashes, baring its fangs and claws as it lunged at the silver wolf's neck.

Ayin showed no fear, crouching and roaring back. His silver projection brimmed with battle spirit, striking fiercely at the lion's side.

Rong Mi closely followed the silver wolf. He stretched his body, leaping through the gap between the flying vehicle and the buildings. Landing on the edge of a ruined rooftop, he pounced forward, landing directly on the lion's back.

In his hands, thick purple mental energy chains materialized, looping around the lion's neck.

Behind him, the guard captain pulled the flying vehicle up vertically. Its underside scraped against the skyscraper's exterior, sparks flying, before it tumbled backward and spiraled downward.

The guard captain cursed, using all his skill to transform the vehicle, hastily turning to observe the battle inside the building.

"ROAR!!! —— ROAR ROAR!!!" The Thunder Lion let out a series of angry roars, thrashing about in a rage, but was pinned down relentlessly by the silver wolf.

The silver wolf pressed its ears back, enraged by the lion's attacks, letting out a mighty howl.

"Aoohh!!!"

Amidst the howls, the spiritual chains around the Sandel Lion's neck tightened relentlessly, gradually suppressing the lion's release of spiritual energy. The purple, razor-sharp spines protruding from within the chains pressed firmly against the Thundering Lion's throat, forcing it to abandon resistance.

The Thundering Lion lay on the ground, panting heavily.

Its brown-gold eyes still glared hostilely at Rong Mi.

The Silver Wolves, unable to endure any longer, struck with its spirit shadow's extended claws, fiercely slapping the lion's skull.

Wolf: "Awooo!!"

Without mercy, the blow sent the lion's head recoiling backward, its rear cranium thudding against the ground.

This blow dazed the Sandel Lion, and its gaze instinctively turned to the Silver Wolves. It blankly met the wolf's icy stare for a moment.

Seconds later, Sandel shivered, regaining some clarity.

It was Admiral Lu Yi's wolf.

It knew.

Lu Yi is the leader of the legion.

The wolves are the leaders among the legion's star beasts.

Thundering Lion: "…"

The Thundering Lion instinctively ceased its resistance, but its tail still swished irritably against the ground.

Rong Mi, panting, leaped down from the lion's back and gave the Silver Wolves a thumbs-up.

He straightened and surveyed the situation inside the building before taking two steps outside and waving from the breach toward those outside.

The lightning in the sky had subsided, and the cascading bolts that had once engulfed the exterior of the skyscraper were no more.

In the building's lower levels, the researchers, who had been trapped inside and unable to escape, finally exhaled in relief. Their limbs weak, they stumbled out of the structure in a daze.

The security team maintained order, organizing the crowd for brief individual inquiries.

Meanwhile, another pair of guards accompanied defensive robots into the building, rushing towards the floor where the explosion had occurred.

Outside the building, the captain of the guard, still shaken, piloted a flying vehicle up to the breach, just in time to hear Rong Mi say, "Brother, bring an air purification robot. There's an aerosol in there that agitates both humans and star beasts... it makes me feel like fighting."

"Oh, and medical robots too! Get a few more!"

The captain of the guard responded, "...Alright."

Willfully taking on the role of a cargo carrier, he quickly returned to the breach with the air purification robot. This time, he sat in the co-pilot seat, letting another guard member take the driver's seat. The flying vehicle aligned with the floor opening. With effort, the captain lifted the robot over the gap, placing it on the ground. After two trips back and forth, he finished the task.

The purification robot swiftly collected air samples, then activated its purifiers, rushing into the building.

A medical robot attended to the Lion, tending to its wounds. The remaining few rolled swiftly, following the purifying robot as they scanned vital signs while rushing into the building.

With the diligent work of the purifying robots, Thundering Lion finally calmed down. It lowered its fluffy head, submitting.

The Silver Wolf glanced at it and took a step back, its ethereal figure dissipating.

The small, furry cub let out a warning howl at the Lion before padding over to Rong Mi and lightly leaping up.

Rong Mi effortlessly bent down, scooping the wolf back into her arms, and stroked its spine gently. "Well done, Ayin! You did great!"

Wolf: "Awooo."

It placed its head on Rong Mi's arm, letting out a harmless growl.

Captain of the Guards: "...."

The wolf was now a far cry from its fierce demeanor just moments ago.

"Shall we go in and have a look?" he asked Rong Mi.

"Let's go." Rong Mi stowed the wolf back into his pocket and unzipped another one, asking, "Damon? Is there any insectoid spiritual energy inside?"

Damon Rabbit: "...."

It had been dizzy from the jostling and poked half its body out of Rong Mi's bag to sniff around vigorously. After chirping softly, confirming the absence of insectoid spiritual energy, it retreated back into the pocket.

"There will be carrot-apple treats when we get back," Rong Mi reassured the rabbit. Immediately after, he sensed the wolf's disgruntled swish of its tail.

"I'll buy meat for Ayin!" Rong Mi hastily added, "Loads of it!"

Captain of the Guards: "..."

"... You're a Beast Tamer?" he couldn't help asking. "You have such a good relationship with your contracted Star Beasts?"

As he spoke, he nodded towards Rong Mi's pocket where Damon was hiding. "That's Young Master Chen's Gem Rabbit, right? I saw them at the Academy for testing these past two days."

Ayin turned to glance at the Captain, swishing his tail in annoyance since the rabbit had been recognized but not himself.

Rong Mi rubbed the wolf's head and mouthed to the Captain, "Praise him."

Captain of the Guards: "..."

"... A wolf?" Picking up on Rong Mi's cue, he struggled to find words. "Do wolves need to be praised?! This is definitely the coolest and most impressive Silver Wolf I've ever seen! For such a young one to subdue that Thunderlion...! He'll be unstoppable when he grows up!"

The wolf appeared unmoved, but the tip of his tail twitched slightly, indicating his pleasure.

There was a sense of satisfaction in being lavishly praised in front of someone important, making humanity proud.

Rong Mi discreetly gave the Captain a thumbs-up.

The captain of the guards was torn between laughter and tears.

"I meant every word I just said," he whispered. "How did you raise such a brave…."

His voice trailed off abruptly.

Behind them came a barely audible rustling, as if a feline predator was trying to conceal its approach to its prey.

The captain tensed, but Rong Mi remained strangely relaxed. He placed a reassuring hand on the captain's shoulder and turned to look behind them. There, indeed, was Sandel, the Thundering Lion, silently following them.

Contrary to the captain's assumption, the lion didn't seem to have any intention of attacking them.

Its movements were cautious; upon seeing Rong Mi turn around, it immediately froze, one forepaw suspended in mid-air, unsure whether to step forward or retreat.

After a moment, the lion lowered its head and let out a submissive growl.

Bandages wrapped around its body indicated numerous wounds, despite having been treated with healing potions. The gashes were too severe to close instantly, and as it walked, fresh blood seeped through the bandages.

The once-furious lion now hung its head, its tail drooping. Seeing that Rong Mi remained silent, it tentatively took one step forward, then another.

It eventually approached Rong Mi, gently rubbing its fluffy head against the young man's arm as an apology.

Sander: "Roar."

It deeply regretted its indiscriminate attack just now.

"Roar—"

It wanted to ask Rong Mi for help, to save its master.

The wolf gave the lion a cold glance. The big lion, remembering that the wolf disliked its proximity to Rong Mi, took a half-step back but still followed closely behind Rong Mi.

Rong Mi quietly withdrew his hand from petting the lion's mane, pretending nothing had happened, and wrapped both arms around the Silver Wolves once again.

Unsurprisingly, the wolf swished its tail at him, not too lightly nor too heavily.

Rong Mi couldn't help but chuckle, hugging the Silver Wolves tighter.

"Let's go," he said, quickly dismissing his smile. His gaze turned slightly cold as he stepped forward, delving into the depths of the building.