Chapter 65: Amusement Park (Nine)

Chapter 65: Amusement Park (Nine)

The youth's tone inspired an involuntary trust and obedience.

Ellen didn't hesitate and immediately carried out Rong Mi's order.

He followed Cheng Wen into the hidden stairwell at the back, glancing back subconsciously before they left.

Rong Mi was using a silver blade to pry open the suppressor on his wrist.

Ellen caught a glimpse of his profile.

The youth gazed at the door before him as the shattered suppressor fell from his wrist. His expression was grave yet serene. There was no trace of fear, only unwavering determination.

In that instant, Ellen felt a strange sensation in his heart.

Rong Mi exuded an aura that didn't belong to someone of his age... or even to his original background.

He had seen countless battles, walked through the valley of death time and again, only to return to the realm of the living just as often.

He didn't flee the battlefield due to those horrifying experiences; he had the power to choose, but he would never leave.

...Until the moment of humanity's triumph.

He was somewhat like Lu Yi.

Like an unwavering flag.

"Three minutes," Rong Mi suddenly tilted his head. A hint of a smile graced the youth's lips, his voice clear and distinct, contrasting greatly with Lu Yi's.

He held up three fingers, gesturing to Ellen, "Take Cheng Wen to a safe area."

Ellen snapped back to reality, "Of course."

Cheng Wen had disguised herself within the Ice Butterfly Symbiosis Association for so long; it would be strange if Cecil wasn't furious upon learning this.

Moreover, he must know many secrets of the Ice Butterfly Symbiosis Association... secrets about Cecil himself.

For either reason, no intelligent ice butterfly would let Cheng Wen go.

Three minutes was likely the longest time he could keep Cecil contained within this area without engaging his mecha.

"Understood," Ellen saluted him. "Take care of yourself."

Rong Mi had already turned back to face the entrance, giving Ellen a thumbs-up to signal that everything was under control.

"Buzzzz—"

"Thump. Thump thump."

The door before them vibrated, not from someone knocking, but from the impact of Chengdie's mental energy colliding with it.

As the surge of energy rushing towards the room intensified, faint sounds of metal fracturing echoed within the safe house.

With a sharp shattering noise, the glass on the bookshelf's exterior broke apart due to the energy waves, sending books tumbling from their neat arrangement and revealing the energy shield behind them. Cracks appeared on the black device, smoke billowing out as it overloaded and became dysfunctional amidst the continuous influx of energy.

Under the Ice Butterfly's energy barrage, the entire house seemed on the verge of collapse.

The ceiling, walls, floor...

The rapidly spreading cracks signaled the impending peril.

Ayin surveyed the surroundings, a frosty silver spreading from under her feet, forming a shield before Rong Mi.

The medical robot had just finished its treatment, and the Silver Wolves were raring to go, vowing not to let Cecil harm Rong Mi again.

"Buzzzz... Buzzz..."

All the furniture in the room resonated with the ice butterfly's hum. With a soft snap, an old photograph frame standing on the desk toppled to the ground.

In the photograph, developed using ancient techniques, Lu Tianchen and Cheng Wen stood close together under fireworks at an amusement park, as if about to share a gentle kiss.

"..." Cheng Wen's pace slowed as she walked up the passage leading from the safe house, eventually coming to a halt.

She heard the ice butterfly's buzzing and sensed its surging energy heading this way. Amidst the butterfly's psychic vibrations, however, she discerned a more familiar voice.

She heard Lu Tianchen's voice, filled with agony, his howls of pain, and his desperate longing for release.

"Lu Tianchen... won't make it," Ellen suddenly spoke up.

He was well aware of Cheng Wen's relationship with Lu Tianchen and Cecil.

On the first day he was brought to the base, Cheng Wen had taken his spatial brooch.

That brooch should have contained Ayde's corpse, but instead held Ellen's armor. The base's second-in-command had inspected its contents without uttering a word.

From that moment on, Ellen knew where Cheng Wen stood.

He observed her relationship with Cecil, subtly learning from Cheng Wen's hints about the base and Cecil. With her help, he escaped, consuming a mental strength recovery potion.

Though Ellen didn't know the military would act tonight, he had planned to escape the base today and return the information to the military.

He had long decided to take Cheng Wen with him.

"Hurry up," Ellen urged. "Lu Tianchen wants you to leave."

"You don't need to worry about the military's inquiries," he said hastily. "I'll testify for you. The military isn't as rigid and inflexible as you think..."

"He did let me go," Cheng Wen interrupted Ellen.

If not for Lu Tianchen's persistent urging, he wouldn't have left that safe house at all.

Cheng Wen's head dropped, and his pace quickened abruptly. "You already have the Symbiosis Association's information. As long as you can get out, General Lu's efforts won't be in vain."

"Cheng Wen." Ellen grabbed his wrist and pulled him forward with force, but just as they took a step, a violent tremor reverberated through the steep tunnel.

In an instant, a terrifying wave of ice butterfly energy rushed in from behind.

Ellen's mental power flared, isolating the energy wave behind them.

That wasn't the full extent of Chéng Dù's mental power; it seemed like residual waves leaking out after being blocked by something.

Inside the safe house, a massive red tide burst through the door, colliding with the silver-purple interwoven mental shield.

Amidst the vast energy currents, Rong Mi squinted slightly, looking outside the door.

Chéng Dù's mental power was continuously pouring in, transforming into millions of fluttering butterflies.

In the corridor outside, dense pillars of red light rose, only to be devoured and collapsed by silver tendrils.

More silver light seeped from the ceiling, as if moonlight was piercing through walls, gradually taking over the space within the main tower.

The energy field inside and out of the tower was in utter chaos, causing the building itself to groan under the strain.

The thick ice butterfly energy had wreaked havoc on the tower's facilities, utterly destroying security robots that were once patrolling the corridors. Some guards, realizing the danger, rushed out of the tower, while others, too far from the exit, were being penetrated and corroded by the ice butterfly's mental power. The survivors were isolated by the moonlight, protecting them from further harm, ensuring they would have a chance at medical attention after the battle.

Rong Mi extended his hand, touching the fragment of Lu Yi's mental energy as if briefly greeting the general.

Purple flames flared outward, illuminating the chaotic world for Rong Mi.

All the red butterflies that had assaulted from outside were now extinguished, yet Rong Mi's brow furrowed deeply.

He didn't see Cecil.

*

"Cecil wouldn't notice, as General Lu's consciousness is the true master of the body," Cheng Wen panted, speaking urgently to Ellen as they moved through the passageway. "General Lu's control is fleeting—just a few seconds in peril, or maybe a dozen at most in normal times… Cecil never knew that Lu Tianchen still existed."

The residual ice butterfly energy surging from below carried an immense aura. Despite often being by Cecil's side, Cheng Wen had never experienced such potent ice butterfly mental power before.

Cecil rarely resorts to utilizing its power unless absolutely necessary; it depletes its mental fragments and exhausts the body it currently inhabits.

"But... General Lu's consciousness is actually very difficult to overpower Cecil. It's too challenging... He doesn't always succeed."

"General Lu has forcefully appeared twice today... Logically, it shouldn't be possible again."

"But Rong Mi is remarkable... I know that."

"He managed to engage Cecil within the elevator cabin, blocking Cecil's attacks and forcing it to focus all its attention on battling him."

"I want to try waking him up," Cheng Wen said.

"...I also want to see him one more time."

Cheng Wen was aware of what she was suggesting.

Her voice trembled, choked with emotion and anxiety, "If it were me... He wouldn't resist."

"He will wake up," Cheng Wen assured. "He'll remain still and use every ounce of his strength to prevent Cecil from controlling his body."

"Let his blood drain completely, and let corruption consume him thereafter."

"You will..."

His voice abruptly ceased, the final word on his lips swallowed by a thunderous crash.

"Victory."

The walls crumbled, vanishing in a crimson haze of venomous glands.

Cheng Wen stood rigid, catching a glimpse of that familiar yet alien figure in her peripheral vision.

It was Cecil.

A vivid scarlet aura swirled around it, outlining the shape of a butterfly's wings behind its back. A faint blue radiance diffused from the contours of those wings, gradually filling them in.

A surge of immense energy erupted from its being, tearing apart its clothes and revealing pristine skin beneath, along with the pulsating shadows of red venom sacs beneath the surface.

Ellen instinctively shielded Cheng Wen behind him, casting layers of psychic barriers, but only just in time to intercept the onslaught for an instant.

Cecil's crimson psychic tendrils collided fiercely with that radiant barrier, shattering it utterly. The immense impact sent him and Cheng Wen hurtling backward, slamming into the wall where they both fell unconscious.

"I decided to come to you first," Cecil looked at Cheng Wen, "You betrayed me."

"There was someone helping you, keeping me oblivious to your scheming. I never imagined he would..."

The crimson psychic energy shot towards Cheng Wen, piercing his abdomen and lifting him up on the tendrils.

Severe pain jolted Cheng Wen back to consciousness. He couldn't suppress a pained scream as he saw a cruel smile appear on Lu Tianchen's face.

In the next instant, his body suddenly split open.

A human chest cavity opened, revealing a tangled mass of flesh and venom glands inside.

This was one of the high-level Ice Butterflies' feeding methods. After capturing their prey, they would rupture their bodies to enclose the two meals within, digesting them rapidly to fortify themselves for the imminent battle ahead.

The Ice Butterfly's venom glands wriggled outward but halted just short of touching Cheng Wen.

It was as if an insurmountable wall had appeared before them, or perhaps they were being forcefully pulled back by an invisible, powerful hand. They intertwined and struggled, desperately reaching forward, yet failing to make contact with Cheng Wen's body.

Cheng Wen hung upside down in mid-air, vaguely aware of a warm droplet landing on his face.

It lacked the viscosity of blood, resembling the intermittent drizzle of a spring day.

Straining to open his eyes, he saw Cecil bent over, gazing at him intently.

It was so close, its pale face mere inches from Cheng Wen's own.

Upon its strikingly handsome features, a cruel and distorted expression contorted, while tears streamed down its cheeks.

"Run," Cheng Wen thought he heard Lu Tianchen's voice, "Hurry up, Awen! Run!"

Cheng Wen's expression wavered, slightly dazed.

As the president's secretary, he was accustomed to following General Lu's orders without question.

Yet, he was now trapped within Cheng Die's mental domain, unable to escape the searing pain and intensifying sensation of suffocation that rendered him immobile.

Cheng Wen took a deep, labored breath.

He spat out a mouthful of blood and finally gave up struggling. Instead, he reached upward, touching Lu Tianchen's cheek.

Ever since Cecil had taken over this body, he had never caressed the man like this again. A trail of tears moistened his fingers, but in the next instant, the blocked Ice Butterfly venom gland suddenly erupted.

Lu Tianchen's eyes widened, his red irises spreading outward. The Ice Butterfly's spiritual energy gained the upper hand within him, aiming to push Cheng Wen into the toxic chamber within his chest...

"Bang! ——"

Purple flames suddenly appeared, severing the Ice Butterfly's spiritual energy that entangled Cheng Wen.

Then, the flames intensified.

"I'm not an idiot," Rong Mi said, appearing at the other end of the passage with the Silver Wolves on his shoulder. He had rushed here hastily and was still slightly breathless when he spoke, "Did you think those low-level Ice Butterflies formed from your spiritual energy could hold me back?"

Back when his spiritual strength was lower, this tactic might have worked.

But now, it was impossible.

The purple flames roared, transforming into chains that pierced through the red energy, surrounding Cecil.

Enormous butterfly wings emerged from the chains, as Ceyser let out a fierce roar, turning his attention to Rong Mi.

More and more ice butterflies burst forth with spiritual energy, causing the ceiling and floor to tremble violently, as if the structure was making its final desperate attempt to withstand collapse.

From a crack in the ceiling above Cecil's head, silver glimmers began to seep through.

Cecil's woven cage was finally shattered from the outside by Lu Yi.

Behind Rong Mi, the medical robot, having received the young man's command, hurriedly followed, struggling to keep pace with her footsteps.

Climbing stairs with wheels was no easy task.

The medical robot lacked a system for complaint. Instead, it precisely located Cheng Wen, who lay unconscious on the ground, and activated its healing mode.

Layers of silver ice rose around Cheng Wen and Ellen, forming an impregnable barrier.

"Oooh-wuuu——"

The Silver Wolves lifted their heads and let out a long, mournful howl.

Rays of silver radiance burst forth from its form, intertwining with the vast cascade of silvery threads descending from above.

It was as if it were signaling the commencement of an assault.