Chapter 77: The Onset of War

"He is a good boy!"

Hearing these words from outside the door, Nangong Yuchen shuddered violently. A sense of suffocation gripped his heart, causing him to clutch his head in agony, an urge to burst into tears welling up within him.

His mother’s loving words echoed in his ears, making him yearn to throw himself into Fu Wanyu’s arms, to say he was sorry, to tell her he loved her.

Yet, that short step felt as heavy as a thousand pounds. Even as Nangong Jianyuan and Fu Wanyu were escorted away to prison, he never managed to take it.

Time passed, though he knew not how long. Nangong Kexin emerged from the room, her beautiful eyes red and swollen, her expression one of utter desolation. She looked at the pain-stricken Nangong Yuchen and opened her mouth, but the words remained unspoken. Finally, she walked away, lost in a daze.

Had this been two months ago, she surely would have blamed Nangong Yuchen, but now she could not bring herself to utter a single word of reproach. She knew he was suffering far more than she was.

Especially over the past month, she had become overly reliant on him. Sometimes she feared what would happen to her life if she were to lose him as well. She dared not think of it, which was why, during their time together recently, she had avoided mentioning their parents as she once would have.

Half an hour later, Nangong Yuchen, carrying their luggage, walked out of the prison gates with Nangong Kexin. After hailing a taxi, they headed toward the address provided by Angel. Throughout the journey, the two remained even more silent than before; neither dared to be the first to speak.

Area A was not far from Area B. Before long, they got out of the taxi and arrived at the entrance of the residential complex where Angel lived. With no heart to appreciate the high-end surroundings, Nangong Yuchen took out his phone and dialed Angel’s number.

"Beep, beep..."

"We're here."

Once the call connected, Nangong Yuchen said only that and hung up before Angel could respond.

They waited for another ten minutes before seeing Angel running out from within the complex, looking travel-worn.

"Phew! Sorry to keep you waiting!" Angel panted slightly, smiling happily as she reached them.

Only then did she notice the despondent expressions on their faces and the redness in their eyes. She teasingly asked, "What’s wrong? Are you two crying just because you’re temporarily parting ways?"

"Don't talk nonsense!" Although she was heartbroken, Nangong Kexin knew she would be living under someone else's roof, so she retorted.

"Hee hee, it’s really no big deal. My house is huge; Nangong Yuchen, you can come live here too!" Angel invited him with a grin.

"No, thank you. You’ve already helped me a great deal by letting Kexin stay with you. I’m used to being on my own," Nangong Yuchen declined, shaking his head. After giving a few brief instructions, he turned and left.

"Tch, fine, suit yourself. As if I actually wanted you to move in!" Unsure why Nangong Yuchen had become so cold today, Angel pouted, grumbled to herself, and led Nangong Kexin into the complex.

...

At that same moment, deep within a secret processing plant beneath the Lu family villa in Area A, a bloody scene was unfolding.

Under the dim light, three monsters were feeding on corpses. The largest, in the center, was the proprietress—Marianne Lennan-Murphy. Her upper body resembled a human, while her lower half was that of a terrifying, eight-legged spider.

Standing to her left and right were Blackhead (Chen Hao), who was half-werewolf, and Mela (Xia Yue), who was half-catwoman. Their way of eating was far more refined than the proprietress'. Though their mouths were stained with flesh and blood, it was a far cry from the gruesome sight of the proprietress shoveling remains directly into her maw.

Opposite them, Lu Bolong and his butler stood deathly pale, not daring to utter a single word until the monsters had finished their meal.

"This is disgusting!" Mela had barely tasted a bite before throwing the corpse aside in annoyance. Ever since she had licked Nangong Yuchen's blood at the café, she found all other food increasingly difficult to swallow. She complained to Blackhead, "It’s all your fault. If it weren't for you, I could be drinking Little Chen’s blood every day. Now look at this—we’re forced to eat such garbage!"

"My fault? If I hadn't saved you, you would have died at the hands of that mecha-woman," Blackhead retorted indignantly.

"Hmph, how is it not your fault? If you hadn't acted on your own that night, would you have drawn the attention of the humans?" Mela continued to grumble.

Just then, the proprietress licked the last of the blood from the corner of her mouth and said, "Enough, Mela. Endure it for a few more days, and there will be plenty more food for you to choose from. Besides, this cannot be blamed entirely on Blackhead."

"Oh, I understand, Lady Marianne!" Mela quickly stopped complaining and spoke respectfully.

Marianne Lennan-Murphy waved a hand, unconcerned. She then shifted into her human form, walked forward, and ran a pale, delicate hand over Lu Bolong’s shoulder. After circling him twice, she asked in a sinister tone, "The agreed-upon time has arrived. Tell me, should I eat you, or should I reveal your collusion with the monsters to Shangguan Yufeng, Great Patriarch Lu?"

Hearing the latter, Lu Bolong went pale and trembled, pleading, "My... my lady, I am already manufacturing the wall-breaking quantum particles as fast as I can. Three days at most—no, two days! I will certainly hand them to you then..."

"Two days?" Marianne’s expression shifted instantly, and she snapped, "Hmph, Lu Bolong, I have already shown you mercy once. You want to ask for two more days? Do you have any idea that because of you, our monster army has been delayed by half a month?"

The colder Marianne’s tone became, the more terrifying she seemed. She suddenly grabbed Lu Bolong by the throat with her pale hand, lifting him high into the air, and snarled, "If it weren't for you, the entire Ruxia City would have been conquered by now, and I would not have been punished by Lady 'Christian Raphael'. And now you dare ask me for time?"

"Cough, cough..." Lu Bolong clawed at her hand, trying to catch his breath, but no matter how hard he struggled, he could not budge her grip.

"Other surrounding cities have fallen one after another, yet here, there is no progress at all. What use is a piece of trash like you!" With that, Marianne’s grip tightened, sharp nails digging into his neck as she prepared to finish him off.

"Cough... no..." Lu Bolong struggled desperately, but in vain.

Seeing Lu Bolong turning purple and on the verge of death, the butler knelt and trembled, pleading, "My... my lady, you cannot do this! If you do, the wall-breaking quantum particles will never be finished, and the energy barrier of Ruxia City will remain intact. Wouldn't your goal of infiltrating the city be ruined?"

Marianne’s expression turned even colder. She glared at the butler and snarled, "You think you humans can stop my monster clan with just this city's energy barrier?"

"What a joke. If it weren't to minimize unnecessary casualties, the entire northwest region of the Great Floating Island of Asia would have fallen into our hands long ago, and you lowly humans would all be nothing more than our farmed food!" As she spoke, Marianne whipped her arm, flinging Lu Bolong away.

"Bang!" With terrifying force, Lu Bolong crashed into the ground, burying himself in a deep crater, his condition unknown.

"Patriarch!" The butler scrambled over in a panic.

"I will not grant you any more time. Remember, within one week, I don't care what methods or means you use, I only want..." Marianne paused, then roared coldly, "The energy barrier of Ruxia City to vanish!"

With that, she left with Mela and Blackhead, leaving Lu Bolong and his butler behind.

"Patriarch, are you alright?" the butler asked anxiously after dragging Lu Bolong out.

"Cough, cough..." Lu Bolong wiped the blood from his mouth and waved a hand to signal he was fine; as a second-tier mecha warrior, this injury would not kill him. However, as he looked up at the departing figures of Marianne and her kin, his expression turned terrifyingly grim.

"Pass the word down: the wall-breaking quantum particles must be completed within these two days!"