Flying Light and Fireworks

Ji Jue said nothing, picking up his binoculars. Amid the still-raging blizzard, the convoy was slowly approaching from afar. The hastily sprayed-on white paint was flaking off, faintly revealing heavy bulletproof armor beneath the vehicle bodies. A normal rescue team certainly wouldn't have so many Celestial Chosen. Nor would they carry so many weapons. Nor would they be so brazen. "...slower, slow down, it's right around here!" Ji Jue glanced down. The radio hanging on his chest automatically connected to their internal channel: "Lead car, listen up: once you spot them, don't get too close. One of those two is a White Stag!" "Watch out for the artisan. Heard he's bad news." "Don't get too close. Rear vehicles, get your gear ready." "Are they even alive? With a whiteout blizzard this bad, even locals would struggle. For all we know, they're frozen stiff as balls." "Isn't dead even better? Snap a couple of photos of the corpses and we split millions." Raucous laughter crackled over the noisy channel. "A bunch of petty punks," Ji Jue sighed with regret. "Things have only just begun, so why couldn't they hold back? The dishes are served, yet there isn't even a main course... Can you handle them?" "Huh? Just me?" An Ning caught his meaning and immediately pouted in reluctance. "I was thinking Brother Ji Jue and I would fight side by side, take down powerful foes, and strengthen our bond and feelings." "This isn't some shonen manga. Where would you get something like that?" "What about feelings, then?" "Sorry, none of that either." Ji Jue glanced at An Ning, who was clearly still planning to haggle, and delivered the killing blow: "Xiao An is still better. Talking to him isn't nearly this troublesome." "Tsk—" An Ning clicked her tongue, her cheeks puffing out where they were squeezed between the shearling collar and her oversized hat. She glared daggers at Ji Jue, who had both hands shoved in his pockets, and lapsed into a sullen silence. Striding across the powdered snow and sheet of ice, she marched forward. She was sulking. Ji Jue yawned without offering any comfort, perching atop Little Niuma's hood to watch at his leisure. The quicksilver limbs extended from his back, fishing two titanium-steel cups and teabags out of a bag. He poured the water at an unhurried pace, not even needing to light a fire—he simply cupped his hands around them to heat it up. Seeing Ji Jue remain completely still, An Ning looked back and glared at him, growing even angrier. Then, a voice floated from behind her: "If you take too long, the tea will get cold." An Ning paused in her tracks, stomped on the spot, and seemed to huff. Then, she picked up her pace. She waved toward the distant convoy. And jumped. "Help, help, someone come help me." A completely flat cry, drawing attention with zero-score acting. "Found them! We found them!!" A delighted shout crackled over the radio: "It's a broad! Found the guy too, right behind her! Must've broken down. Get ready, hurry, get ready!" At that instant, explosive pops suddenly erupted. The entire convoy—all six vehicles—shuddered violently. In a single instant, every single tire blew out with virtually no gap in between. Losing all traction, they skidded in place, rocking wildly, and some vehicles even plunged off the road and rolled over. Under the dim heavens, reflected amidst melting snow and fractured ice, a thread of faint light flashed and vanished. Like threading a needle, it fluttered nimbly, darting in and out, effortlessly slicing through all the reinforced run-flat tires in the blink of an eye. None could see where it came from or where it went; the only thing discernible was its fleeting trajectory. One could not even see An Ning move. She simply stepped across the snow, continuing forward on her own. The thickly piled powder snow and slippery ice did not pose the slightest obstacle, nor did they leave behind a single footprint. She was like a ghost gliding above snow and ice. Screams rang out, along with frantic shouts. The radio dissolved into pandemonium, punctuated by hoarse roars: "Fire! Open fire!!!" At this point, did they have any choice other than to shoot? In an instant, from behind the swung-open doors of the vehicles that had skidded to a halt, black gun barrels poked out, firing in chaotic, frantic volleys. From one of the cars that hadn't overturned, someone even shoved out a machine gun, his expression rabid as he pulled the trigger. A metal storm swept forward! Unfortunately, it was useless. Amidst a literal hail of bullets, An Ning's stride did not falter in the least, nor did it speed up. Advancing against countless trajectories, she moved forward at an unhurried pace, tilting her head or slipping to the side to evade the few lethal rounds in the storm. When she finally raised a hand and snatched at the empty air before her, a thumb-thick, searing armor-piercing bullet appeared between her fingers. The tungsten-alloy armor-piercing projectile bore traces of a spiritus circuit. The payload inside its glass core seemed to be some destructive liquid agent, yet right now, there was no sign of it being triggered at all. The kinetic energy of the bullet leaving the barrel had been neutralized in an instant before impact could even detonate it. Then, with a flick of her wrist, she hurled it back— Boom!!! A vehicle awkwardly reversing in the corner instantly blew apart, engulfed by fierce light and flames, melting into a puddle of slag within seconds. As the mist dispersed, the figures crawling out screamed in terror, their faces contorted as if plunging into hell. At the mere touch of the mist, figure after figure froze stiff where they stood. Their skin cracked, carbonized, and rapidly dehydrated before the spreading flames devoured them, incinerating them to ashes. Chemical weapons! And creations enhanced through alchemical catalysis and Purification, specifically tailored for high-threat targets and capable of being used at will even by ordinary mortals. Something strictly banned by the Association could never be purchased openly, nor was it something a bunch of petty punks wandering the wilderness could obtain. To equip mere cannon fodder with such taboo items—the patrons behind the scenes certainly had deep pockets. And yet... Ji Jue lowered his gaze, ignoring the stray bullets whistling past his ears, and took a sip of the warm tea in his cup. In the distance, the roar of battle was relentless. The moment they realized bullets were useless, cracking sounds erupted beneath the ice. Sharp spires shot up from the ground, proliferating like an explosion, and countless icy blades engulfed the advancing silhouette like a tempest of knives. Yet the next moment, An Ning stepped out from the flurry of snow and frost like a phantom, phasing through the sharp blades completely unscathed. With a backhand flick, she snapped off a shard of ice, weighed it in her hand, and flung it. A piercing screech tore through the air. A stark-white streak flashed forth, traversing hundreds of meters. The brittle ice blade actually tore through bulletproof armor, penetrated the chassis, and detonated. In an instant, the vehicle's windows were coated in splattered crimson. Then silence. One after another. The thread of faint light reappeared. With a casual flick of her fingers, it crisscrossed from front to back, sweeping across the battered convoy in an instant. Then, amid spraying blood, an out-of-control machine gun swept wildly as it tumbled inside the cabin, chewing the severely wounded men—their throats slit and vital organs pierced—into a mess of minced flesh. At last, a mangled, frozen finger slipped from the trigger. The red-hot barrel fell into a pool of blood with a sizzling hiss. Amid the howling wind and snow, the snowfield returned once more to dead silence. When An Ning raised her hand, Ji Jue finally caught sight of what the thread of light truly was... a tiny floral hairpin tucked into the bangs across her forehead. Without a scratch or flaw, it still gleamed brilliantly. "Hmph, how was that?" Returning with hands on her hips and an air of triumph, An Ning reached out a hand. "Where's my tea?" Ji Jue pointed to the spot beside him, where the teacup rested. Heat rose from the cup. Tea fragrance wafted through the lukewarm steam. Just right. "You're back just in time," Ji Jue said. "Still in time for the fireworks." "Huh? Where?" An Ning casually plunked herself down onto the hood, looking around. Following Ji Jue's pointing finger, she gazed toward the sky, toward the streak rocketing in from the distance across the gloomy heavens and amidst the neon auroras. A missile! The streaking fire plunged steeply, splitting apart midair on its own. Then, like a crushed peapod, it scattered hundreds of eerie black specks hurtling toward the earth. Cluster munitions! Clearly anticipating Ji Jue's Deus Ex Machina, the missile had disintegrated before ever entering his range of interference. Even the cluster bomblets' fuses were the most primitive contact-detonation type. Even if Deus Ex Machina could disrupt fuses, it could never stop every single one. Their chemical nature dictated that once the safety mechanism was disengaged, the slightest impact would cause them to detonate violently! If even one slipped through the net, it would trigger a sympathetic chain detonation among the rest. Those petty punks who had come knocking had been nothing more than bait to pinpoint Ji Jue's location from the very beginning. The instant they were wiped out, true ruin rained from the sky! Now, the dense cluster of bomblets struck the earth, instantly blanketing an area of several kilometers. Flames, blazing light, thick smoke, and a mushroom cloud surged into the air amid the oncoming blast wave! The ice cracked and melted, snow water instantly flash-vaporized, and the ground at the epicenter was transformed entirely into a vacuum of scorched earth. Dragon breath catalysis to magnify destruction, damaging metals to enhance armor penetration, chemical toxins, alchemical refining, and even an eerie mist of contamination—under this relentless ravaging, neither living creature nor inanimate object could survive at ground zero. Shattered chunks of ice and gravel rained down like a tempest alongside scorching gales, rising and falling in chaotic clatter, bouncing until they rolled up against the tires at Ji Jue's feet. Ji Jue sipped his tea with head lowered, not losing a single strand of hair. Because the missile's strike coordinates had been a full twenty kilometers away. It had struck absolutely nothing! Further away, two observation vehicles slammed on their brakes. Observers raised their binoculars, staring dumbfounded at the unbelievable spectacle before them, too stunned to respond to the calls over the comms channel. "How did you do that?" An Ning asked in bewilderment. "Deus Ex Machina's range of interference reaches that far?" When the missile had flown over their heads, it was still high up in the sky hundreds of kilometers away. It was unimaginable that an ability of the Metamorphosis rank could possess such a staggering area of effect; it was simply bizarre. "How could it?" Ji Jue shook his head with a faint smile. "Deus Ex Machina isn't omnipotent, you know." Seeing how he told only half the story, An Ning grew indignant. "Playing coy again! If you keep this up, I'm going to catch little mice and stuff them into your blanket and collar!" "Don't be in such a rush." Ji Jue shrugged. "The fireworks aren't over yet." At that moment, in a concealed encampment deep within the snowfield, ear-splitting sirens suddenly blared in waves. Yet right after, all sound cut off abruptly. While everyone exchanged bewildered glances, a scalp-numbing scrape reached their ears. On the console of the missile launchers, without any command being issued, indicator lights flickered from crimson to emerald green one after another, entering launch-ready status. Then flames roared upward, and amid thundering booms, shrill shrieks tore continuously through the air. Missiles fully loaded with cluster munitions launched into the sky, completely out of control. "What's going on?!" The commander inside the barracks stared blankly at the scene before him, roaring in shock, "Who authorized the launch? No, abort the fuses, quickly! Right now, hurry!!!" Watching the radar screen, more than a dozen missiles scattered in all directions, placing virtually the entire snowfield within their strike radius. If even one or two landed near a city, the consequences... Cold sweat broke out instantly, drenching his back. Yet even more terrified than him was the operator before the console, practically sobbing. "I cut it! I cut everything off! But—but it's completely useless! There's no response!" On the satellite map, red blips flashed rapidly, scattering outward. But then, alongside bizarre static and garbled characters, flecks of light appeared on the LCD screen, piecing together to form a blurry silhouette. As though bowing her head and lifting her long gown, she curtsied in greeting to the culprits behind the screen. [Isis sends her regards.] The blurry silhouette turned, walked into the darkness, and vanished. The screen flickered back to display. In the dead silence, the commander's expression went blank, his chest heaving violently, until he finally saw... the red blip on the satellite map that, after making a wide loop, was arcing straight back toward the encampment. Pushing open the window, he looked up and caught sight of the familiar trajectory plunging from the sky after tracing a massive arc. "Motherf—" BOOM!!!! Amid rising flames, not a single trace remained of the entire encampment.