Invasion - Chapter 53
Chapter 53
Lin Yuan squeezed through the crowd, moving inwards.
There were many waiters carrying drinks here, one or two would occasionally approach, enthusiastically trying to sell her alcoholic beverages, or introduce her to someone.
Lin Yuan casually brushed them off, all her attention focused on the bull-headed monsters searching for her.
A girl about her age kept following her, constantly talking to her.
Lin Yuan ran up the wooden stairs, reaching the corridor on the second floor. There were even more people coming and going here.
A strong female sentinel, cursing, walked out of a room, bumping into Lin Yuan in the corridor. Below their feet, a bull head looked up through the cracks in the floor.
In her haste, Lin Yuan squeezed into the room the sentinel had just come out from.
The girl following her also squeezed in. She thought Lin Yuan had chosen this room, opened her mouth, a troubled look on her face.
"Did you choose this room, miss? But we just had a guest here, it hasn’t been cleaned yet, it’s very messy," the girl put her hands together by her face, her almond-shaped eyes lively and beautiful, looking at Lin Yuan expectantly. "Miss, why don’t we change to another room? How about I introduce you to the boy with the best singing voice here?"
"No, no, this room is fine."
Lin Yuan pushed the girl out the door and closed the not-so-tightly shut door.
She looked out through the crack in the door, the bull head downstairs looked around for a while, not finding her, and went to search further away.
Lin Yuan breathed a sigh of relief, only then noticing that there was another person in this small room.
A man, still very young, was lying on the floor, his back to her, motionless, wearing very little.
Lin Yuan subconsciously pulled up a thin blanket from the floor, covering his body.
The night here had suddenly become very cold. Even Lin Yuan, wearing a thick tactical suit, felt cold, let alone this person, lying directly on the floor with his back exposed.
Lin Yuan covered the person on the ground, and continued crouching by the door, observing the situation outside through the crack in the door.
On the street, those bull-headed monsters, seemingly unwilling to give up, moved through the crowd, searching for her everywhere.
Heavy footsteps came up the stairs, a group of bull-headed monsters came up, walking past the corridor.
The tentacles emerged, winding and sticking to the wooden door, listening with Lin Yuan to those approaching footsteps, passing by, gradually fading, then going down the stairs at the other end.
Lin Yuan discovered that although those monsters kept persistently looking for her, they only searched outside, and never entered any of the rooms here.
As long as she stayed in a room, she could avoid these monsters.
Lin Yuan decided to stay in this room until the monsters outside left, to get through this dangerous night.
She started examining the room, and the person inside.
The small, wooden room had a bed and a separate bathroom, it was very drafty, and terribly cold.
A layer of frost covered the window on the wall, and the huge crescent moon hung outside.
The man wrapped in the blanket on the floor was still motionless.
The head exposed from the blanket had short silver hair and empty eyes, he lay there without any expression, even the tentacles could hardly capture any clear emotions.
One of his ankles was exposed, frighteningly thin, the thin skin stretched over his bones, crisscrossed with blood-red whip marks.
Lin Yuan saw a broken whip on the floor.
She figured that the sentinel who had just left here, cursing, must have done something terrible.
But before entering, Lin Yuan hadn’t heard any sounds of pain from this room. After entering, the tentacles hadn’t captured any emotions related to pain either.
This person had become completely numb to the torture and abuse inflicted on him.
Like a shell, still alive on the outside, but the inside had been corroded, destroyed, almost empty.
Lin Yuan knew that this contaminated zone had existed for a long time. Every "night" here, the same things were repeated.
Although this “person” still retained some human emotions, having suddenly appeared at night, he probably no longer belonged to the human world.
Lin Yuan found a spot by the door and sat down, trying her best not to disturb him.
The person also slowly closed his eyes, curling up further into the blanket, seemingly falling asleep.
His face was as pale as a corpse’s, his body huddled in that slightly dirty, thin blanket, as if it were his shell.
The later it got, the more lively this place seemed to become. Those piercing songs, music, and unrestrained laughter filled every corner.
As if this was a place of revelry, countless souls seeking pleasure in the night, indulging themselves, until death.
The deeper the night, the stronger the sense of danger.
Lin Yuan stayed in the room, the huge shadows of countless monsters cast on the window panes by the door, mixed with the giggling guests, coming and going.
The tentacles quietly moved underground, extending outwards as far as possible.
But within the maximum range they could search, they didn’t find any being resembling the Golden Tree.
That lifelike golden tree that had appeared on Lin Yuan's wooden box.
Gradually, amidst the laughter and chatter outside, occasional sharp screams could be heard.
As if no one heard them, those piercing screams didn’t cause a single ripple in this sea of revelry.
Lin Yuan looked out through the crack in the door and realized that it was outsiders like her.
Sentinels, just like her, had found this "Rose Camp," and had entered.
They had been discovered by those monsters, each trapped in a difficult battle.
For a moment, Lin Yuan's severed tentacle suddenly emerged from its resting space, its pitiful severed end exposed, hanging in the air for a while.
【Why did you come out?】 Lin Yuan asked it. 【Go back and rest, it’s nothing.】
【Strange… I seem to sense something.】
The tentacle muttered listlessly, and dejectedly hid itself.
In a place Lin Yuan couldn’t see, some sentinels had fallen.
Their blood spread along the cracks between the bricks, like blood-red flowers blooming in this bustling street.
The passersby seemed to not see them, walking over the corpses, giggling.
Only one sentinel fought his way into the deepest part of this camp.
There, the red lights, the green wine, the dreamlike revelry, all disappeared.
A huge crack split the earth.
The crack was bottomless, glowing with an eerie crimson light, like a path leading to hell.
From that crimson fissure, a golden plant grew out from the ground.
Its trunk, branches, leaves, all brilliant gold, pure and beautiful.
The slowly awakening golden tree stretched in the night, spreading its huge golden canopy.
Its metallic leaves gently swayed in the night breeze, the sound of them touching crisp and clear, like music, faintly echoing in the night.
Ni Ji stood there, looking at this strange and beautiful giant tree.
The Golden Tree.
For so many years, this powerful mutated creature had swallowed countless lives, never letting anyone leave here sane.
Almost the moment he saw the tree, he felt a needle-like pain in his head.
Ni Ji reached up and touched his forehead, the blood-red abyss and the beautiful golden leaves overlapping before his eyes.
Countless strange voices rang out in his mind at the same time, as if staying here for even a second longer, taking even one more look, would drive him irrevocably mad.
Ni Ji closed his eyes, drew his gun, and almost without hesitation, fired a shot towards the tree.
A bright trajectory appeared, accurately flying towards the tree.
It was a special incendiary grenade.
A blinding light flashed, and in just a few breaths, white phosphorus flames quickly climbed up the golden tree.
A raging fire, burning endlessly, consuming the golden trunk, igniting a huge flame in the dark night.
Before coming here, Ni Ji had, in the archives of the Royal Guard, watched countless times the images left in the minds of those who had gone mad.
He had repeatedly watched those chaotic, insane memories, and finally found the weapon that worked against this tree.
After the huge white phosphorus flames ignited, the stabbing pain and noise in his mind greatly lessened.
Ni Ji took off his black gloves, his palm against the blade, slowly drawing a bloodline on his hand. The demon blade absorbed enough blood, becoming longer and wider, an eerie blood red.
The sentinel crouched, charged, jumped, and struck in mid-air.
The dark red blade light, with its afterimage, carrying a hurricane-like wind, slashed towards the burning Golden Tree.
Large sections of golden branches broke off. Those broken branches, burning, fell from high above, turning into ashes, into flickering sparks, scattering in the night sky.
They didn’t turn into a key.
Ni Ji had been in and out of countless contaminated zones. He knew that things taken from the Pillar would, most of the time, turn into the key to enter and exit the contaminated zone.
Whether it was a contaminated zone where mental attacks were the main threat, or one where physical attacks were the main threat, the most difficult part was finding the Pillar, and the process of approaching it.
But as long as they could get close to the most powerful mutated creature in the contaminated zone, and take a part of it, it would be equivalent to obtaining the key, and everyone would have hope of leaving.
Here, after going through many dangers, he had found the Golden Tree, cut down countless golden branches.
But the key he wanted hadn’t appeared.
A soft chuckle seemed to come from somewhere.
Someone, somewhere unknown, chuckled coldly, mockingly.
The piercing, chaotic noise in Ni Ji’s mind suddenly intensified, like a red-hot knife piercing his brain, like countless people crowding into his mind, screaming in unison.
Countless faces appeared before Ni Ji, those who had died, those still alive, those he hated, those he loved, every face twisting and screaming, blocking his vision.
The world before Ni Ji’s eyes turned blood red, and red blood trickled from his ears.
He knelt down on one knee, his blade supporting him on the ground, gasped, and closed his eyes.
In his blurred vision, there was a face that would never twist or become ugly. She just smiled at him faintly.
Ni Ji slowly stood up, wiped the blood from his face, and raised his blade again, facing the giant tree in flames.
Lin Yuan found that the person sleeping on the floor in the room had suddenly developed a high fever.
An abnormal flush appeared on his usually pale face. She touched his forehead, it was burning hot.
Lin Yuan had brought a lot of medicine, but no antipyretics. She carefully opened the door, quietly poking her head out to call for someone.
The girl who had shown her the way quickly ran over. "Guest, I’m Windsor. What can I do for you?"
Lin Yuan pulled her inside, pointing at the person on the ground. "He seems to have a fever, do you have any antipyretics here, or a doctor?"
"Yes, we have medicine, all kinds," Windsor said eagerly, then fidgeted, her fingers pinching her skirt, lowering her head. "But you have to pay for medicine, we don’t just give it away.”
"Can I pay with imperial coins?" Lin Yuan showed Windsor the imperial coins she had brought.
She didn’t know if the currency from her era was still usable in this contaminated zone.
"Of course, of course, what else would we accept if not imperial coins?" Windsor was delighted. "Are you buying medicine for Xiao Xun?"
Xiao Xun referred to the man with the high fever who had fallen into a coma.
Personal terminal signals would disappear in contaminated zones, so money transfers weren’t possible.
Fortunately, Lin Yuan had the habit of carrying her wallet with her. They still used imperial coins here, which was great.
Windsor quickly brought all kinds of medicine and warm water.
The two girls together helped Xiao Xun onto the only wooden bed in the room.
The thin blanket slipped down a little, revealing a thin, scarred body.
Lin Yuan bought all the necessary internal and external medicines at once, and the two of them worked for a long time, cleaning the wounds, bandaging, feeding him medicine, finally tidying up the patient.
"We took so long, will this affect your work?" Lin Yuan asked.
Windsor lowered her head and shook it.
"Thank you very much, you’re a kind guest," she bent down, picking up the blood-stained gauze and cotton balls from the floor, her voice very soft, with a hint of a sniffle. "Xun Hua, he’s a very pitiful person, please be kind to him."
Not long after Windsor left, the patient on the bed opened his eyes.
The burning fever had subsided, and he had returned to his previous half-dead, cold and indifferent state.
He opened his eyes, his gaze as cold as ice submerged in a cold pool, unmelted even after thousands of years.
He looked at Lin Yuan for a while with those cold eyes, then, using his arm to support himself, sat up from the bed. The thin blanket slid down from his shoulder, revealing bandaged shoulders.
"What do you want from me?" He asked Lin Yuan coldly.
This was the first time Lin Yuan had encountered someone whose emotions were even colder than hers. His voice could almost make one shiver.
"No- nothing, I don’t want anything. You should lie back down," Lin Yuan quickly waved her hand.
She was busy crouching by the door, peeking outside, waiting for the monsters to disperse.
Just now, in the distance, she seemed to have heard a loud commotion, a faint sound of an explosion.
The monsters outside were running, becoming more frantic and numerous.
But now, the fire and explosions seemed to have died down. The sounds softened, almost inaudible.
Outside the window, the cold light of the crescent moon shone through the window, diagonally onto the frail figure sitting on the edge of the bed.
The man looked at Lin Yuan silently for a while, lowering his eyelashes.
In his memory, everyone who had entered this room had taken pleasure in torturing him. He had never seen anyone who didn’t have any demands of him.
He didn't speak, but Lin Yuan seemed to hear the question in his heart.
Thinking that he was a patient, injured, she patiently turned to him and said,
"Really, you should lie down, have a good night's sleep, I’m not asking anything from you."
The room became quiet.
The patient didn’t say anything more, and lay back down.
Someone gently knocked on the door, it was Windsor.
The girl, smiling, handed a menu to Lin Yuan. "Guest, it’s late, would you like to order some late-night snacks?"
Windsor smiled sweetly, looking at Lin Yuan expectantly.
This was exactly what Lin Yuan wanted. Lin Yuan had been in the contaminated zone for a long time, although she had brought some dry food, seeing such a varied menu still made her happy.
As long as imperial coins could be used, money wasn't a problem for her.
"I’ll have this, this, and that… wow, you have so many traditional snacks."
"Ah, o- okay," Windsor froze for a moment before replying to Lin Yuan. "I'll bring them to you right away."
Lin Yuan smiled, she had noticed long ago, this girl, finding an excuse to come in, her attention and gaze always falling on the wooden bed by the wall.
Her feelings were very pure, with a hint of gentle pity, her heart full of concern for that person’s physical condition.
Windsor didn’t avoid Lin Yuan’s smile either.
She generously sat down next to Lin Yuan, sitting much lower than Lin Yuan, next to Lin Yuan's knees, looking up at her.
"Xun Hua, his condition is very bad, we're all a little worried about him," those beautiful eyes held a hint of pleading. "You are a kind guest, could you let me stay and accompany you? I can sing some songs for you, I’m also a good dancer.”
"Sure," Lin Yuan said. "I like listening to songs, and I also like having company when I eat."
The beautiful Windsor sat happily by Lin Yuan's feet.
She brought Lin Yuan a lot of hot food, ate the late-night snacks with her, and sang songs for her.
Lin Yuan knew she wasn’t really happy to sing, she just wanted to stay here, to help a withering soul as much as possible.
"Do you know about the Golden Tree?" Lin Yuan, after having her fill, asked for information.
"What?" Windsor looked blank. "What tree? I’ve never heard of it."
Lin Yuan scratched her head. "Like a tree made of gold, very big, very conspicuous, its leaves sing when the wind blows.”
"No," Windsor laughed. "How could there be such a tree in this world? That would be a treasure, something you can’t even dream of."
She was someone who lived in a different time and space than Lin Yuan.
Lin Yuan looked at her smiling face, and didn’t ask anymore, listening to her sing beautiful songs beside her.
In the second half of the night, a rude knock on the door came.
"Open the door, tell that brat Xun Hua to come out and play with me."
The person knocked on the door loudly, their alcohol-infused shadow appearing on the window's paper screen.
Clearly, a disgusting person.
Windsor bit her lip and pulled on the corner of Lin Yuan's clothes.
"Get lost, I’ve booked him for the night," Lin Yuan said. She had originally planned to leave after hiding in this room for a while. But now she planned to stay a little longer.
The shadow outside cursed vulgarly, it was a human, filled with the most disgusting human malice.
That nauseating emotion made Lin Yuan almost throw up the late-night snacks.
The tentacles aggressively moved towards the door.
Soon, a scream came from outside, someone rolling down the stairs.
Windsor smiled and continued singing.
This time, she truly wanted to sing.
With her gentle singing, the noise outside seemed to gradually lessen.
Even the faint sounds of fighting became calmer, as if one of the warring parties had lost interest in fighting.
The shadows of monsters moving back and forth also gradually disappeared.
Lin Yuan, amidst the singing, also unknowingly dozed off.
On the small bed by the window, under the thin blanket, Xiao Xun, sick, curled up his body, sleeping in the moonlight.
It seemed like he hadn’t had such a peaceful, undisturbed sleep for many nights.
How long had it been? So long that he couldn't even remember.
When Lin Yuan opened her eyes, "nighttime" had already passed.
"Daytime" had returned.
The Rose Camp was empty, the sky outside very bright, the breeze rolling up a few old flyers, which fluttered on the street.
Lin Yuan blinked, the empty room, no sick Xiao Xun, no singing Windsor.
The brightly lit camp from last night was now silent.
Lin Yuan rubbed her stiff arm, opened the door, and walked out.
The tentacles suddenly became excited, emerging from the ground one after another.
Lin Yuan looked in the direction they pointed,
And at the other end of the road, she saw a familiar figure.
Covered in blood and wounds, a black combat suit, a tall figure, holding a bright red demon blade in his hand.
That person, seeing her, started running towards her.
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