Chapter 108 Yu Xing Injured and Unconscious, Poor Yu Xing…

Chapter 108: Yu Xing Injured and Unconscious… Poor Yu Xing…

"Skreee! Skreee!"

The giant bat thrashed and rolled in the raging inferno. Yu Xing hovered above, and just as she thought the bat was doomed, a swarm of bats suddenly gathered, plunging into the flames like moths to a deadly flame.

Yu Xing frowned, feeling an itch on her skin, especially on exposed areas. She glanced down to see angry red swelling where the bat had bitten her hand.

She couldn’t help but scratch. It was said that bats carried hundreds of diseases, and the mere thought made her skin crawl.

"Screech!!"

Before she could think further, things took a turn in the inferno below.

An unusually sharp cry erupted from the flames, and Yu Xing’s ears suddenly rang, her hearing completely cut off.

It wasn’t just Yu Xing; Di Shensi and the others nearby also lost their hearing in an instant. Some of the more severely injured soldiers even bled from their ears before collapsing unconscious.

"Screech..."

The flames below convulsed violently, and a massive, pitch-black shadow emerged from the fire.

Yu Xing immediately flew higher on her broomstick, gaping in shock at the scene below. From the blazing forest, a bat the size of an elephant soared out.

The bat spread its wing membranes, covering half of the burning forest.

Di Shensi and the others also witnessed this, frozen in terror, unable to react.

It was a grotesque, monstrous bat, pieced together from countless smaller bats. Yu Xing, high in the air, saw it more clearly: the tiny bats seemed to have melted together from the heat, their dense, tiny human heads clustered, forming a bizarre, giant bat that made one want to vomit just by looking at it.

"Screech screech..."

The enormous bat let out a piercing cry, its blood-red eyes fixed on Yu Xing. A chill ran down Yu Xing’s spine as she sensed an overwhelming threat.

Without hesitation, she wrenched her broom around and bolted.

"Whoosh..."

A blast of wind surged behind her. Yu Xing glanced back and gasped—it was too fast! The bat was flying far too quickly!

She had intended to fly toward the city walls, but the retreating convoy was in that direction. Reluctantly, she had no choice but to fly deeper into District 25.

Fortunately, with the bat chasing her, no other pollutants dared to block her path. Unfortunately, her broomstick couldn’t outpace the bat, and it was gaining on her fast.

Yu Xing cursed inwardly, calling the bat dishonorable. They had been fighting fairly, and then it suddenly transformed? Unfair!

Still, she wasn’t overly afraid. She had an ace up her sleeve—she refused to believe this bat could withstand the Vermilion Bird Divine Fire.

But right now, she was disguised as the Bull Warrior. She couldn’t risk using the Vermilion Bird Divine Fire too close, lest she expose her true identity.

Gritting her teeth, Yu Xing nosedived.

Beyond the raging inferno lay an endless stretch of broadleaf forest. Yu Xing didn’t recognize the trees—their leaves were enormous, oval-shaped, each one larger than Yu Xing herself.

She barreled straight in, turning the tables completely.

Earlier, the bat had used its size to hide in the forest to evade her. Now, Yu Xing was the one using her smaller size to take cover, while the bat—now as big as an elephant with massive wing membranes—couldn’t possibly enter the forest.

Once inside the forest, Yu Xing flew low, almost hugging the ground.

Dodging branches and leaves, she thought with relief, *Thank god this bat can't set the forest on fire.*

"Screech!!"

The enormous bat flew above the treetops, emitting an exasperated shriek.

Yu Xing looked up and saw the bat descending. *Like that’ll help?* she wondered. *No matter what, it can’t enter the forest.*

But she soon realized her naivety. The bat lowered itself until it was almost brushing the treetops.

Its sharp claws raked across a massive tree, producing a grating sound before the tree suddenly burst into flames.

Yu Xing: "?!"

*You’ve gotta be kidding me!*

"Screech..."

The bat shrieked, flapping its wing membranes and kicking up a gale that rapidly spread the fire. Within moments, the trees around Yu Xing were ablaze.

Yu Xing: "..."

She was stunned. *It can do that?!*

*This bat really holds a grudge!*

Not only that, it was exceptionally cunning.

There was no time to be shocked. Yu Xing knew she couldn’t wait any longer—soon, she’d be extra-crispy Yu Xing.

But now, with her below and the bat above, using the Vermilion Bird Divine Fire wasn't an option.

After a moment’s thought, she clenched her jaw, landed, and stashed her broom.

The giant bat circled above the inferno, occasionally emitting sonic waves to scan the area below. The fire burned fiercer, and by the time it finally died down, dusk was settling.

Yet the bat still hadn’t left, continuing to hover over the area.

Di Shensi had regrouped with the convoy and the wounded. Fortunately, they had brought enough medicine, and with Miao Yuanjin purifying everyone while treating herself, there were no fatalities this time.

The only problem was, Yu Xing was missing.

"Did she say anything when she jumped off the vehicle?" Di Shensi asked.

"Nothing much," Da Ya replied, calling down rain to wash the soldiers. "Just that she’d meet up with us later."

Di Shensi wasn’t entirely surprised by Yu Xing’s disappearance—after all, the Bull Warrior had appeared.

He guessed that in the emergency, Yu Xing had jumped out to save people and then sought the Bull Warrior’s help.

But things were complicated now. Di Shensi looked toward the core area of District 25. The massive fire had burned for so long that it had finally extinguished, yet the giant bat still circled overhead.

From this distance, he couldn’t see the exact situation.

He didn’t know if the Bull Warrior had survived the inferno, but he was far more worried about Yu Xing. Why hadn’t she returned? If she had gone to seek the Bull Warrior’s help, why was she still gone?

Did something happen to her?

This was plausible. At that time, the Bull Warrior was overwhelmed fighting the bats and had no attention left for Yu Xing. If Yu Xing had encountered danger then...

Di Shensi grew more worried with each thought. Yu Xing was a member of that mysterious organization. What if something really happened to her? How would they face the organization's wrath?

He called over the Deputy Commander and instructed him to establish camp here while he went to search for her.

This area had previously been burned down by the Bull Warrior, leaving only scorched and shattered trees, making it far safer than elsewhere.

After giving his orders, Di Shensi left the camp alone with his equipment to find Yu Xing. It wasn't only fear of the mysterious organization's retaliation—he knew that without Yu Xing, their team probably couldn't enter the core area. With Yu Xing present, the organization was also present, and they'd step in when needed.

This whole time, without that organization's help, he might have died long ago, and the exploration team would have already returned to City 24.

Moreover, he truly worried about Yu Xing. After these past two days together, he knew that while she wasn't the sharpest, had terrible acting skills, and couldn't lie her way out of a paper bag, Yu Xing was a good person. He didn't want to see her die.

The charred forest still held residual heat. A mound in the ashes stirred, and Yu Xing crawled out from within.

"Cough, cough..." Yu Xing coughed from the smoke, scowling up at the bat in the sky. *Just you wait,* she thought.

Dusting off the ash from her clothes, Yu Xing hadn't found a chance to deal with the bat earlier, nor could she flee easily in the burning forest. Then she remembered that the Celestial Serpent Feathered Robe was, after all, an artifact from the primordial realm. At the very least, it should be able to handle ordinary flames.

So she dismounted from her broomstick, found a spot, and completely enveloped herself in the Celestial Serpent Feathered Robe.

As expected, after the blaze, she emerged unscathed beneath the robe.

Yu Xing looked up at the sky—the bat was still circling. But she could clearly see that its blood-red eyes had closed. She guessed the bat had no choice but to keep circling; it was now too large, and there were no trees nearby big enough for it to hang from.

Its bat instincts prevented it from resting on the ground, leaving it no option but to keep flying in circles.

Yu Xing hesitated no longer. Her broomstick reappeared in her hand, and the Celestial Serpent Feathered Robe transformed into the attire of the Great Sage. The Monkey King had returned!

Di Shensi searched aimlessly for a while but found no trace of Yu Xing.

Just as he was about to give up, he saw a figure clad in golden armor appear in the sky under the crimson sunset.

The Monkey Man!

Di Shensi's eyes widened. Had the Monkey Man appeared because the Bull Warrior had died? Or because the Bull Warrior couldn't handle the giant bat?

From a distance, he watched as the Monkey Man, radiating golden light, charged toward the bat. Crimson-gold flames poured like a celestial river onto the bat's wing membranes, drawing a piercing screech. The bat thrashed mid-flight before plummeting.

Just like the giant earthworm, no matter how it struggled, the bat couldn't shake off the uncanny flames.

No matter how it writhed or struggled.

The bat's pained shrieks lasted a long time, while Yu Xing waited quietly nearby.

Finally, when the bat died completely, a purple orb appeared.

After all this effort, she had finally gained something. Yu Xing immediately flew over on her broomstick and collected the hovering tainted core.

By now, it was completely dark. Anxious to return, Yu Xing mounted her broomstick and raced back.

Midway, she suddenly felt dizzy and tumbled from her broom.

"Thud!"

Yu Xing landed in a pile of fallen leaves.

She lay there for a while before barely dragging herself out.

Lifting her hand, she saw that the swollen wound on her palm had already festered.

Belatedly, she realized the bat must've been crawling with pathogens. Even if she wasn't afraid of contamination, viruses were another matter. Without a chance to treat her wounds all this time, they had deteriorated badly.

No, no, no. Yu Xing pressed a hand to her feverish brow—she needed medicine.

She put away her broomstick and changed her clothes back. Leaning against a tree, she shakily fumbled for her medicine.

Her vision was already blurry, and her ears, having endured the bat's sonic attacks multiple times, were ringing constantly, making it hard to hear anything clearly.

Just as she was searching for her medicine, she suddenly sensed something approaching.

Turning her head, she vaguely made out a shadowy figure.

"..."

Someone was here? How was she supposed to take her medicine now? She didn't know who it was, so to prevent accidental injury, she quickly put on her gloves.

After witnessing the Monkey Man slay the bat, Di Shensi had raced toward the area.

Halfway there, he heard suspicious noises ahead. Creeping closer, he was stunned to spot Yu Xing.

"Yu Xing!" Di Shensi rushed over. "What are you doing here? Leaving the team without permission breaks protocol—do you realize that?"

But then he noticed Yu Xing's strange condition—her face was flushed, her gaze glazed over.

"Yu Xing." Di Shensi shook her shoulder. "Say something!"

Yu Xing didn't react at all. Finally, Di Shensi realized, "Are you injured?"

He checked her over. Yu Xing was bundled tightly in her military uniform, with only her head exposed—even her hands were gloved. Her clothes showed no signs of damage, so she shouldn't be injured.

Then why was she like this?

Di Shensi guessed she might have invisible injuries or contamination.

Seeing that Yu Xing couldn't hear him or walk, he regretfully decided he couldn't pursue the Monkey Man now. Bending down, he prepared to carry Yu Xing back.

Just as he grabbed her arm, Yu Xing suddenly chuckled.

"Hehe..."

His heart skipped a beat—that laugh...

Before he could think further, he felt warmth on his face—a hand was touching his cheek.

Di Shensi turned his head to see Yu Xing, blushing and smirking dopily, leaning closer. One hand was on his face, while the other wandered over his chest.

"Hehe, your pecs are so firm," Yu Xing said.

Di Shensi: "..."

Di Shensi stared at her expressionlessly, thinking Yu Xing had the nerve of a honey badger—bold enough to hit on her CO. If they made it out of City 25 alive, he'd make sure she learned what military discipline meant.

Ignoring Yu Xing's roaming hands, Di Shensi effortlessly hoisted her onto his back.

After just two steps, he felt Yu Xing blowing into his ear, while her groping hand remained busy.

"Tch." Di Shensi jostled her on his back. "No blowing, no touching, no wriggling!"

As soon as he said this, he heard Yu Xing laugh again, "Hehehe... Dr. Zhang, you have such a great figure, even better than that thirst trap streamer I just watched..."

Di Shensi stopped in his tracks, and after three seconds, he started walking again.

Throughout the journey, his face remained expressionless, but his mind was anything but calm.

He was wondering who this Dr. Zhang was.

Back in City 24, he had heard rumors that Yu Xing was involved with the Cardinal from City Seven. Later, he personally witnessed Yu Xing going out on a date with soldier Shen Tanrong and not returning all night. And now, there was this Dr. Zhang.

If he remembered correctly, Yu Xing wouldn't be of age for another two months. Kids these days, really...

What annoyed him the most was that while Yu Xing was calling out for Dr. Zhang, her hands were still pawing at his chest.

He pulled one hand free and gave Yu Xing's hand two hard smacks. "Stop that!"

The wounds on Yu Xing's hand had festered, and the pain from the smacks made her flinch. "Ouch..."

Di Shensi felt Yu Xing's body tense up abruptly and froze. "Does it hurt that much?"

Yu Xing was genuinely in pain. Even in her delirious state, the agony was unbearable. She groaned, "Nurse Zhao, be gentler... You're my favorite..."

Di Shensi: "..."

Di Shensi was speechless. His mind was a chaotic mess, a feeling more complicated than coming home from three years away to find his wife had surprise twins.