Night Journey

After Chapter 146
Cillian and Daelin sat wearily on a bench in the street. After the Watergate operation, they had leisurely returned to the city and simply sat down here.

Dai Lin crossed his arms and lowered his head, it was unclear whether he was asleep or deep in thought about the inspiration he had gained from that golden duo.

Ciri closed his eyes and meditated, sensing the changes in the concentration of soul essence within his body.

With Darren's death, the Ouroboros Sign reciprocated with the joy of slaying Chaos.

This was the first time Ciri had killed a powerful enemy of the third rank. He thought the concentration of soul essence would increase significantly, but upon closer inspection, it only increased by 2%.

After careful consideration, Cillian deduced that Darren's corruption by Chaos was not severe.

The Ouroboros Seal is indifferent to good and evil, only to the strength of the chaotic power.

Darren was very cautious in his use of chaos, only using it to maintain the activity of brain tissue, without touching the devouring power possessed by the Evil Bacteria Mother.

It was for this reason that Cillian and the others were able to kill Darren so easily; otherwise, who knows what kind of fierce battle awaited them.

"It's so noisy..."

Dalin opened his eyes a crack and complained wearily.

Cillian responded abruptly with his eyes closed.

"I don't usually carry earplugs with me, so please bear with it."

From midnight onwards, a light rain began to fall in Hull. The gentle drizzle pattered against the awning overhead, its soft sound just enough to keep Dalin from falling asleep.

As for the faint sounds of fighting in the corners of the city, Dai Lin was quite used to them and they didn't affect him in the slightest.

Suddenly, a faint warmth fell on Cillian.

He opened his eyes, and a faint ray of light struggled to pierce the gloomy rain clouds, announcing the arrival of daylight.

Finally, the long night came to an end.

The clamor and carnage of last night have vanished, replaced by an almost stagnant, exhausted silence, torn apart by the sporadic, intermittent sirens of police sirens in the distance.

"Gentlemen, it's dawn. Wake up."

Anya woke up the meditating Cillian and the drowsy Dalin. She brought two cups of hot coffee, with a strip of paper tucked under her arm, steaming hot.

Cillian accepted the coffee without hesitation and then took out a steaming sandwich from the paper bag.

Where did you get this?

He asked the question indistinctly while eating.

Anya pointed behind her, "There's a shop that's open in that alley behind us."

"Isn't it a curfew?"

"Yes, that's what I asked the boss too, and the boss said..."

Anya mimicked the shopkeeper's greedy yet somewhat timid tone, saying, "I just happen to be staying at the shop, and you just happen to walk in, and you're hungry, and I just happen to be willing to provide you with some food."

She coughed twice, adjusted her voice, and then continued.

"When I left, there was already a line at the door, full of hungry employees... I have to say, the boss really has a good business sense."

Outside, the kitchen was bustling with activity, while inside, the owner nervously prepared the food, hoping to make a fortune by dawn.

Dai Lin warmed his hands with coffee and remarked, "I admire these guys who risk their lives to make money."

The three of them chatted away, managing to ease the city's somber mood, when suddenly a vehicle sped past.

At first, they didn't know what the vehicle was transporting, but as the lingering smell of blood spread, they belatedly realized that it was either transporting the wounded or moving corpses.

The three of them, who had finally managed to relax, tensed up again.

The air was so thick it was almost impenetrable, filled with the acrid smell of gunpowder, the lingering burnt smell, and the pervasive... faint metallic odor.

That wasn't real rust, but the smell of blood that, though diluted by a night of rain, stubbornly seeped into the cracks of the bricks and flowed into the street drains.

"As the team leader, it's about time I went back to report."

Dai Lin stood up and stretched his stiff body. Anya naturally followed beside him; the two were always inseparable.

Seeing that Cillian showed no sign of leaving, he asked again.

"what are you planning to do?"

“Let’s take a stroll around.” Cillian slowly stood up. “Let’s see how things are in the other areas.”

"Ah."

Dailin nodded, said no more, and left with Anya, their figures gradually disappearing into the hazy morning mist.

Cillian walked toward the area where the fighting was most intense.

The light drizzle continued to fall.

Like the silent sobbing of the sky, it coldly pounded against the broken streets, collapsed walls, and extinguished embers.

Cillian stood before a ruined shop, rainwater forming murky streams that meandered across the potholed pavement, carrying dark red mud, shards of broken glass, and the occasional metal fragment before flowing into the deep sewers. He took a few more steps, his legs feeling like lead, and his pace slowed until he came to a complete stop.

The scenes on the streets and alleys were shocking.

The bustling commercial street was shattered, the walls were covered with charred bullet holes, and wisps of smoke still stubbornly rose, like unhealed wounds on the earth.

In the area where the battle was most intense, the walls were covered with vicious claw marks, huge craters, and spray-like dark stains.

Amid the ruins, numerous figures were busily working; upon simple identification, they were found to be sheriffs and medical personnel.

The city sanitation bureau staff had finished their work; they either returned to report or found a corner to rest. Only a few people remained, wandering among the ruins and cooperating with the work of other departments.

The sheriff set up a cordon to isolate the ruins, and medical personnel moved carefully among the rubble, carrying makeshift stretchers on which lay wounded people wrapped in blood-stained bandages or motionless bodies covered with white sheets.

As Ciri crossed the cordon, the smell of disinfectant and wound medicine hit him.

A sudden screech of brakes sounded, and the vehicle stopped outside the cordon. Paramedics opened the car door and quickly transferred the seriously injured employee.

As he passed by Ciri, a suppressed groan was heard. He looked at the bloodied and mangled face and felt a vague sense of familiarity, but he couldn't remember who it was.

"Here! There's still a pulse!"

"Apply pressure bandage! Quickly!"

The medical staff remained busy, constantly calling out instructions.

Cillian walked through the ruins to the other side. Although it was already daylight, the streets were still eerily deserted.

Citizens kept their doors and windows tightly shut, only daring to peek out through the gaps in the curtains, fearfully and bewilderedly observing the world outside that had become unfamiliar overnight.

The roar of gunfire, the howls of wild animals, and the deafening crashes of collapsing buildings last night will likely remain a long-lasting nightmare for many.

What's even more disheartening is that most citizens are powerless to stop this nightmare.

Without waking from the dream of the soul, one cannot become a superhuman; without wielding the power to distort reality, one has no chance to even decide one's own destiny.

All they could do was obey the city council's instructions and hide in their homes. As for whether they would live or be torn apart by some zombie that broke into their houses... they could only blindly leave it to fate.

A hoarse, static-like sound rang out from all over the city, followed by a city-wide broadcast.

"The City Council announces that the purge of the chaotic forces within the city has been a great success..."

Despite it being a declaration of victory, the host's voice was completely calm, devoid of any emotion, echoing hollowly and distantly through the ravaged streets.

Cillian felt inexplicably tired and hid under the eaves of a building.

The hurried sound of horses' hooves rang out as the mounted police squad rode across the wet road, their footsteps echoing dully.

Their uniforms were stained with mud and dark dirt, and they looked tired but vigilant, their sharp eyes scanning every dark corner and every suspicious door and window.

The broadcast claimed the operation was a great success, but the staff involved knew that it was impossible to wipe them all out in just one night; there would always be a few lucky ones who slipped through the net and hid in the shadows of the city.

Their next task was to relentlessly hunt down any remaining trace of this chaotic remnant.

Cillian took out his pocket watch and glanced at the time.

As I walked along, the Ouroboros Seal remained calm, indicating that the enemies in this area had been cleared out, so my aimless wandering should come to an end.

Cillian headed towards the city guard bureau, intending to give a brief report before returning home. The night's struggle had left him utterly exhausted, and all he wanted to do was get some sleep as soon as possible.

The sound of running could be heard in the distance, and soon it drew closer.

Cillian turned his head and saw the person who had come in. In an instant, his slightly gloomy expression turned into a smile.

"Are you really going out on a day like this?"

Cillian expressed his sincere admiration.

One has to admire them.

A light rain was falling, and the whole city had just experienced a bloody operation, but she still put on her raincoat and stubbornly went out for a morning run along the street.

Then, Cillian exclaimed, "It's unbelievable how I always run into you."

No matter when or where, it's always the same. Even if it's just a chance encounter, it becomes incredibly confusing after a while.

Cillian whispered, "Damn it, you're not really following me, are you?"

"You? You think you're worthy of my following? It's just a coincidence."

Cillian shook his head. "Coincidence? Are you serious?"

"Who knows?"

Meifuni stood still, wading through the puddles, and said slyly.

"Perhaps, deep within the White Gorge, the threads of our fates will truly become intertwined?"

(End of this chapter)