章節 5: Chapter 35- Move
As the darkness of night enveloped the land, a group of shadowy figures moved with the grace and stealth of panthers. Their footsteps were silent and their presence all but invisible. Dressed in black from head to toe, they blended seamlessly into the night, their faces obscured by hoods and masks.
One of them approached a run-down house, where an old man sat alone, staring blankly at his dinner. He didn't even flinch when the figure entered his home, moving with fluid precision as they sprinkled a pinch of powder onto a cloth and pressed it to the old man's face.
Within moments, the man fell unconscious and the infiltrator effortlessly lifted him and carried him back to the basement, where a group of other people, also rescued, waited anxiously.
But their troubles were far from over. As they debriefed, Chen Wei reported that one area was heavily guarded by Cui Bai's men, and that there was a high chance that the fungus bearing the deadly spores was located there.
After four nights of reconnaissance, they had found six more locations all over the district, but they knew that they would have to fight their way in if they wanted to destroy the spores. This was a predicament, as the Zombie Alchemist would surely be alerted to their presence. With the increasing number of people at the basement, they knew that they couldn't last a week. Their food supply will soon be depleted.
"We cannot continue on like this," Madam Zhang Ai said, her voice firm and resolute. "We must take action and put an end to the threat of the zombie and the spores. And the only way to do that is to meet with the Zombie Alchemist."
Chen Wei shook his head, his face etched with concern. "But Madam, the risks are too great. If something were to happen to you, the resistance would fall."
Madam Zhang Ai's eyes were determined. "I understand the risks, Chen Wei. But we cannot afford to wait any longer. Lives are at stake, and we must do everything in our power to put an end to this horror. I will meet with the Zombie Alchemist and try to negotiate with him. It is our only hope."
The group was silent, weighing the risks and potential outcomes of Madam Zhang Ai's plan. But they knew that she was right, and that they had no other choice. They could only hope that her plan would succeed, and that they could put an end to the deadly threat that hung over the district.
The next day, Madam Zhang did not waste a second. As Madam Zhang Ai entered the fortress of the Zombie Alchemist, her heart pounded in her chest. The guards that escorted her seemed more like prison guards than protectors. The fortress was grand and imposing, made of cold stone and iron. The walls were adorned with gruesome trophies and the air was thick with the stench of decay.
She saw familiar faces among the guards, people she knew who had been turned by the alchemist's dark arts. As they walked, the guards sneered at her, their eyes filled with malice.
Finally, they reached the main room. In front of her stood Alchemist Cui Bai, surrounded by a harem of half-naked girls who were serving him. He lounged on a throne made of human bones, his eyes scanning her body with a malicious gaze.
Madam Zhang Ai tried to keep her composure, but the sight of the alchemist and the fortress filled her with disgust and revulsion. She knew that she had to be careful, for one wrong move could mean her death.
"Well, well, well. Look who decided to grace us with her presence," Cui Bai sneered. "I was beginning to think that you had crawled back into your mouse hole and died."
Madam Zhang Ai refused to be baited by his insults. "Let's not prolong this conversation, Cui Bai. I know that you want something from me, so let's get to the matter at hand."
She took something out of her pocket and showed him a scroll. "This scroll contains the secret that helped my husband rise to the ranks of Grandmaster. I will give it to you in exchange for the release of the people from District Four."
But Cui Bai had other plans. With a sinister laugh, he released a concentrated spore that was able to penetrate even someone of the Master Swordsman rank. It covered Madam Zhang Ai's presence, and soon she appeared before him, her eyes lifeless.
"You see, Madam Zhang, I already have what I want," Cui Bai said, snatching the scroll from her hand. "And now, with the last thorn and threat on my path removed, I can finally be at ease."
He summoned his guards and announced that tonight they would have a feast. "For tonight, the next Grandmaster Alchemist will be born in the Cardinal City."
The night was dark and the only sounds that could be heard were the distant cries of celebration from the fortress of the Zombie Alchemist. Chen Wei and his team of resistance fighters waited patiently for the perfect moment to strike. They had divided into several teams, each with a specific target in mind.
One-Eyed Lily and her team would head to the south to destroy the source of the spores, while Du Hong, Li Jing and their team would move to the northwest. Alchemist Zhou and Juanxiu would head west, and Chen Wei would move to the southeast. Dai Niu would attack the northeast, and Su Qiaolian would rescue her father and destroy the spores in the east.
The plan was simple: infiltrate the used to be heavily guarded locations where the spores were being produced and destroy them. While the guards were distracted by the celebration in the fortress, they will take advantage of this opportunity made by madam Zhang Ai. With the source of the spores eliminated, Cui Bai would no longer be able to control the minds of the people in the district.
As the team of resistance fighters entered the facility, they were met with eerie silence. The guards that would normally be patrolling the area were nowhere to be found, having been summoned to the fortress for a celebration. The team moved swiftly and silently, their footsteps muffled by the thick layer of moss and fungus that coated the ground. The facility was dark and musty, with rows and rows of strange, glowing fungus lining the walls.
As they neared the source of the spores, they could feel the thick, cloying presence of death and decay in the air. The fungus was denser here, and the team members had to use their weapons to hack through the thick tendrils. They finally reached the heart of the facility, where they found a massive, pulsing mass of spores.
Juanxiu immediately recognized the fungus as the Devil's Finger, a deadly and highly sought after ingredient from the Desolate Era. He couldn't help but wonder how these alchemists were obtaining such ancient resources. He first encountered the Corruption of the river during the Lost Era and now the Devil's Finger found during the Desolate Era; two periods younger than the Primordial Era.
But there was no time to ponder such questions, as the team's mission was clear: destroy the spores before they could be used to control more innocent people.
The Devil's Finger stood tall in the facility, its menacing presence looming over the resistance fighters as they entered. It resembled a demon, with five fingers or tentacles rooted deep into the ground, each one ending in a hole-like mouth that seemed to emit the deadly spores. Its surface was a dark, ominous black, and it seemed to pulse with an otherworldly energy. The air around it was thick with the spores it produced, making it difficult for the fighters to breathe.
The team knew that they couldn't use fire to destroy the fungus, as it would only release the spores into the air and the fire will attract the attention of Alchemist Cui Bai. They also couldn't cut it down, as it would simply regrow if they couldn't uproot it at the base. Instead, they had brought gallons of vinegar with them, knowing it was the most effective way to kill the fungus.
As they carefully poured the vinegar onto the Devil's Finger, they could see the fungus recoiling and writhing in pain. The acrid smell of vinegar filled the air as the fungus slowly withered and died, the spores it had released dissipating into the wind. The team worked quickly and efficiently, making sure to cover every inch of the fungus with the vinegar.
Finally, with the last of the Devil's Finger destroyed, the team let out a sigh of relief. They had succeeded in destroying the source of the spores, and the people of the district would be safe once more. They quickly made their way out of the facility, knowing that they needed to report their success to the others and plan their next move.
Upon returning to the hidden basement, the team was surprised to see Madam Zhang Ai waiting for them. They had all thought that she had been taken by Cui Bai and his men. But she explained that she had only been pretending to be controlled by the spores, and had used the opportunity of Cui Bai and his men celebrating their premature victory to escape and make her way back to the basement. She praised Juanxiu for the powder of the Hibernating Mortal Bloom since it has been proven very effective.
Madam Zhang also mentioned how she used the scroll gained by her husband in exchange for the meeting. But she wasn't worried. It took her husband years of study before he was able to decipher the content of the scroll. It will also take a while for Cui Bai to understand the content.
As the team reported the success of their mission, Madam Zhang Ai listened intently, a small smile playing on her lips. "Excellent work, all of you," she said, her voice filled with pride. "We have dealt a significant blow to Cui Bai and his plans. But we must not let our guard down. We must continue to fight until we have completely eradicated the threat of the spores and the Zombie Alchemist."
Su Qiaolian nodded in agreement. "We will not rest until the people of District 4 are free from the oppression of Cui Bai," happy to reunite with her father.
"It's a perfect time to strike," Madam Zhang Ai said with a determined look in her eyes. "The enemy is still intoxicated with their premature victory. We have to take advantage of this moment and end this tonight."
The team nodded in agreement; their faces set in fierce determination. They had trained for this moment and now was the time to put their skills to the test.
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