Chapter 13: A People Plagued by Disaster

Slowly, the last ray of sunlight faded from the sky, and night fell, wrapping the city in darkness.

Down below, under the encirclement and suppression of numerous mecha warriors, the ferocious beasts within Tianwan Street were completely cleared out. The cessation of slaughter brought a brief moment of peace.

However, the tragic scenes of the day still lingered in everyone's hearts. The crying and wailing echoing from outside the street filled the retreating mecha warriors with heavy sorrow, making their footsteps unconsciously feel sluggish.

Over here, Yang Long gathered Nangong Yuchen and the others. Seeing that their injuries were not severe, he let out a sigh of relief. After giving a few brief instructions, he led his mecha squad back to report for duty.

Before leaving, however, he cast a complicated look at Nangong Yuchen, Angel, and Nangong Kexin. First, he was astonished that the three of them had broken through to the first tier so quickly. Second, the thought of the four million-plus credits he had inexplicably spent that afternoon added insult to his already heavy heart.

That sum of money was entirely equivalent to the academy's annual expenses, and as a lieutenant, his own annual salary was only a little over one hundred thousand. The more he thought about it, the more his heart ached—why on earth had he agreed to it in the first place? Fortunately, the four million-plus spent could be considered worthwhile; Nangong Yuchen and Angel's defying performances on the battlefield had indeed shocked even him. Thinking of this, he finally felt a sense of relief.

After Yang Long left, the elite students of the Fourth Squad also hurried away, leaving only Nangong Yuchen, Muling, and four others.

Seeing that there were no outsiders left, Yi An and Qingxue chorused in gratitude, "Nangong Yuchen, thanks for today!"

Nangong Yuchen was still lost in grief and the parting words left by Mela. Awakened by their voices, he quickly shook his head and said, "We are all friends, there's no need to be so polite!"

Yi An turned around with a loud laugh, "Ha… True. But Nangong Yuchen, you and Angel are just too… too incredible! You just broke through to the first tier, yet your strength far surpasses ours. You truly live up to being monsters with three attributes and two attributes!"

As he spoke, a look of exaggerated wonder crossed his face. Carefree as he was, he seemed to have already shaken off the heaviness in his heart.

Nangong Yuchen and Angel modestly waved their hands. Before they could speak, Yi An strode over, slung an arm around Nangong Yuchen's shoulder, and smiled, "Tell me, what on earth did you guys eat to soar in strength like this overnight?"

"Uh…" Facing his interrogative tone, Nangong Yuchen was left speechless.

"Still, I find you and Angel make such a perfect match. One has six mecha components, the other four. I can't even imagine how terrifying you two will be when you break through to the second and third tiers in the future! I've heard that the stronger the parents' innate talent, the more terrifying their children's talent will be, so..." Yi An intentionally lowered his voice toward the end. But since everyone present was a first-tier mecha warrior, how could they not hear it?

This remark instantly caused Nangong Yuchen and Angel to flush, making them extremely awkward. Meanwhile, Nangong Kexin, listening nearby, pouted with a somewhat indignant expression. She couldn't explain why, ever since Nangong Yuchen drank her blood, hearing him linked with another girl made her feel a sour sensation in her heart...

"Yi An, what are you... talking nonsense for?" Qingxue couldn't help but rebuke him.

"I'm not talking nonsense at all. If you don't believe me, ask your older brother Muling—he's the one who told me!" Yi An said with a serious expression.

"Muling..."

"Ahem... Qingxue, this actually has genetic proof..." Muling pushed his glasses up by habit. Once the topic turned to factual evidence, he became endlessly loquacious.

"Therefore, based on the aforementioned factual evidence, the stronger the innate talents of a male and a female, the stronger their offspring will be when they combine!"

As soon as he finished his last sentence, Angel, Nangong Kexin, and Qingxue all blushed furiously. They glared fiercely at Muling, and if not for his injuries, they probably would have given in to the urge to beat him up!

Thanks to Yi An's carefree and mischievous interruption, the heavy atmosphere among the group of six unconsciously lightened a great deal.

Ten minutes later, the group exited Tianwan Street, and Muling prepared to part ways with two of them. At that moment, Nangong Yuchen suddenly called out and asked, "Muling, did you see Mu Ningxue... and the others today?"

Ever since Mu Ningxue came to his house last night to bring him news, he hadn't seen the shadow of Zheng Xuanhao's trio amidst today's disaster, leaving Nangong Yuchen harboring a vague sense of unease.

"They didn't come this morning, and I remember the instructor tried to contact them at the time, but couldn't get through!" Yi An said as he took out his communicator. Tapping open the contact screen, he selected Mu Ningxue's avatar and dialed, but half a minute later, a connection failure prompt popped up.

Seeing that the communicator failed to reach her, Nangong Yuchen took out his phone, familiarly punched in a string of numbers, and called.

The result was still unreachable! This made Nangong Yuchen even more anxious. He was terrified that something might have happened to the girl he loved.

Seeing the worried look on Nangong Yuchen's face, Yi An comforted him, "Relax, don't worry. She's a princess of the Mu family—what could possibly happen to her?"

With that, he bade farewell to Nangong Yuchen and the other two, then hurried back toward District A with Muling and Qingxue.

"Yuchen... Ningxue will definitely be fine!" Nangong Kexin stepped forward to comfort him. Remembering Mu Ningxue's help yesterday, the resistance and hostility in her heart had diminished considerably, though she was still somewhat unaccustomed to using such a familiar form of address.

"Yeah, I hope Ningxue is all right," Nangong Yuchen muttered to himself in his heart.

"Nangong Yuchen, Kexin, where are you planning to go tonight?" Angel suddenly asked.

Hearing this, the two of them remembered that a large half of District CD had now been reduced to ruins, and Xiyuan Apartments was no exception. Where were they going to live from now on?

Seeing the two of them stunned, Angel held back a smile and said, "Come on, you might as well come to my place!"

Left with no reason to refuse, Nangong Yuchen had no choice but to follow Angel's arrangements.

An hour later, the three of them returned to District B. As they passed the hospital and numerous streets, they were instantly deeply moved.

The residents who had evacuated from District C to District B were now homeless. Their pain-stricken and sorrowful faces betrayed the grief in their hearts. In just a few short hours, families had been torn apart and homes destroyed; they could only hold their heads and weep helplessly.

Outside the hospital gates, the wounded and disabled formed two long lines spanning entire streets. Covered in blood, they waited anxiously for treatment. Yet, this dense, dragon-like queue filled them with despair, and many simply walked toward death while waiting in the endless line.

Weeping, wailing, sorrow, despair. This was Ruxia City after the disaster, stripped of its former self!

Unconsciously, Nangong Yuchen clenched his fists and lowered his head. The scenes playing out before his eyes filled him with indignation. He seemed to sense the helpless, despairing expressions of those residents before they died, and seemed to hear the tiny, humble yearning hidden within the low cries of those who had lost their loved ones!

"Ferocious beasts!" At this moment, his hatred for the beasts rose to a whole new level. The Ruxia of the past no longer existed! All of this was because of them, transforming this place into a disastrous battlefield!

Beside him, Nangong Kexin gripped Nangong Yuchen's hand tightly at some point. With her head lowered, she suddenly worried for her parents, terrified that one day her beloved mother and father might meet the same fate as the people before them.

Meanwhile, though Angel's expression was much calmer, her gem-like eyes faintly shimmered with tears of grief. Such a scene reminded her of her own clansmen, suffering under a curse far away in the distant Forest of the Sky.

Originally a ten-minute journey, the three of them walked for half an hour before finally arriving at Angel's home.