Ark, they don't revolve around you

Chapter 66 The Shining

The midnight bell rang, and it seemed as if a giant was hitting the bronze bell with all his strength, and the grand sound continued to echo.

Zhuang Ning turned around, his black pupils reflecting the white snow: "You guys leave here first."

"Are you chasing people away now?"

"Kasheina, don't talk back, don't tell me you don't know your identity." Zhuang Ning sneered. He was not always gentle to his servant. "I will send someone to contact you later, such as Tallulah."

"Aren't you afraid that she will burn me to death in her rage?"

Zhuang Ning paused for a few seconds and said calmly: "She is a girl with a broad perspective. I trust her."

Kashena smiled slightly, lifted her skirt and saluted before retreating with the inner guards. Zhuang Ning watched her disappear. He didn't mind the black snake's sins. He cared about what this immortal evil snake could bring to him.

Zhuang Ning went back to Rhode Island and took W to rest. The girl was too tired. The evil spirit's poison was the most deadly to any living thing.

Then what……

A voice asked, what are you going to do next?

He pondered for a moment, thinking that maybe he should go to Longmen to get some fresh air and relax.

The sound of wings rubbing against each other could be heard from the sky above the square. Swarms of drones whizzed past, and nearly a hundred machines formed a beautiful arc. The drones were all painted red, as if a giant dragon spread its wings and soared into the sky.

The crowd was crowded and many people were amazed. Zhuang Ning seemed to be an inconspicuous spectator. In fact, he was very low-key. He clapped and cheered with the crowd. He had taken off his coat and no one noticed that such a man was joining in the fun.

At this time, the drone swooped down and passed over the crowd. Men and women burst into amazing cheers, marveling at the intentions of Longmen officials. This allowed people to see the details more closely and they couldn't help but admire the people who designed this program and algorithm.

The giant dragon moved around, puffing out clouds and mist, which made people applaud. However, Zhuang Ning was stunned for a moment, feeling that something was wrong. A chill ran down his back, and he had a premonition of death. It was this inexplicable feeling that allowed him to escape danger time and time again.

This time Zhuang Ning met him again, and he was much stronger than before.

Killer?

Just as the thought came to his mind, Zhuang Ning heard a cheerful laugh, like a child laughing out loud with a toy. There was nothing wrong with that, but the sound was coming from the drone swarm above!

The movements of the machines became smoother. Originally they just looked like a dragon, but at this moment they all seemed to have become living creatures. The gods in the sky endowed the machines with the characteristics of life!

"—"

The drones dived once again, and in the middle of the flight they turned into colorful flying birds. The drone at the head was fiery red, as proud as a phoenix, while the drone at the tail spread its wings, unwilling to be in this position.

No tourists noticed anything wrong and thought it was a new trick of the Guards, but Zhuang Ning clearly saw these drones light up their weapons, the new type of rapid-fire guns, which theoretically could pierce steel in an instant. Rapid-fire guns could never be fired without the control of a magician, but drones had their own selves and lives, so their weapons were naturally determined by them!

assassin.

This was the highlight of this assassination. Even the enemy Zhuang Ning didn't feel like applauding. The other party had no intention of hiding at all. Hundreds of drones and birds swarmed forward, and weapons roared!

Zhuang Ning did not dodge, it was meaningless, there were crowds of people on all sides, where could he run to? He fumbled around and took out the energy shield, which was the most trusted device by the Gaul Old Guards and had resisted the enemy's arrows and spells time and time again. The shield had a built-in automatic spell-casting unit, which would emit a soft light when it sensed danger.

The moment Zhuang Ning covered himself with the shield, torrential rain fell like a torrent. The drone beasts that had gained life howled excitedly and wreaked havoc with their weapons. They were wild beasts and would not hesitate at all about killing people, not to mention that their master had promised this fight!

"What's going on? A drone is attacking people...!"

"no no……!!"

The crowded square in Longmen turned into an unavoidable slaughterhouse, with large tracts of death blooming like flowers. The drones shot with high accuracy, and perhaps to show their superb skills, they chose to smash the heads of the refugees first, and the dead did not even have time to react before they became a charred brown corpse.

This was the real massacre, ruthless and extremely efficient. Zhuang Ning saw that Gaul's shield had dimmed a lot, but he was not panicked and pulled out the second one.

He was glad that it was not the inner guards this time. The inner guards' knives were far more powerful than the attack of the drone swarm, and so fast that people could not react.

Zhuang Ning hid inside the shield, having no doubt that the culprit wanted to kill him and creating the riot was just a side effect.

Blame yourself?

He didn't. In the simulation, this was a demon who took the initiative to start a war, and the number of deaths was incalculable. But Zhuang Ning knew the meaning of the other party's actions. If Longmen was in chaos, Zhuang Ning's control over Longmen as the shadow king would be greatly reduced!

But the enemy forgot that he had encountered a Shura field far more tragic than this!

Bombs exploded in the crowd, roars and screams intertwined like boiling water. Civilization is a very thin coat, and order will collapse with just a little accident.

But compared to the people fleeing like a landslide, there was a slender shadow coming against the tide.

She was a woman in a black cloak, a white-horned Sarkaz, with eyes that could not hide her sadness under her tattered hood.

She gently drew out the sword, and the sword, like a dead branch, burst into fluorescence, like knitted velvet, slowly outlining a grand domain for her, which was a light like the interweaving of morning and evening.

The field enveloped the drone swarm, and the attacks from the drones slowly decayed. The giant birds soaring in the swarm screamed in fear, looking down at the woman in awe. The woman stood on the horizon where dawn and dusk met, and pulled out the sword little by little until it was completely unsheathed!

She swung out the first sword, then the second sword, the third sword... Each time it was a random slash, but after the slash there was the sound of a flock of birds falling to the ground. This Sarkaz was undoubtedly powerful, and the sword light broke through the counterattack of the fleet again and again like tearing paper!

The giant drone bird that formed the dragon's head roared unwillingly and swooped down, its entire body turning into red flames, like a phoenix reborn from the ashes!

The flames were about to fall to the ground, and the entire square was in ruins, but the woman in white horns raised her eyes calmly and swung her sword calmly. No life could be forgiven in her hands. She slashed in the opposite direction, and the arc of the sword was so large that she actually drew a huge semicircle!

The light fell on the giant red bird, and its flames were exhausted and fell to the ground. This horrific attack was quelled in just a few minutes, leaving only headless corpses and the wreckage of the returning drone.

"The Shining." Zhuang Ning was stunned for a moment and called out her name. He didn't expect that the first person who came to rescue him would be this girl.

The woman crossed this place as if she had crossed thousands of mountains and rivers. She came to Zhuang Ning with full of expectations but also anxiety in her heart and lowered her head.

"I'm late."

Chapter 67 Trust is only once

Zhuang Ning cherishes his life, or to put it another way, he is a persistent person. How can an evil spirit who has washed away all the worldly desires and been reborn in the fire not cherish his life?

So when the drone showed its murderous intent, Zhuang Ning did not hesitate and immediately issued an order for help. This was the highest level order in Rhodes Island, but Lucille had specially assigned an operator to receive this message and the operator must come immediately. The doctor's safety was above all else.

The funny thing is that this order is not actually mandatory. After all, Rhodes Island is a loose mercenary organization, and its cohesion depends on vague beliefs and a slogan.

Especially after the old man of Rhodes Island passed away, he felt more deeply that Rhodes Island must transform, and he immediately dismissed Kal'tsit with thundering means and took power into his own hands.

The enemy is not weak, and the person who can receive this signal must have combat power above that of an elite operator. He originally thought that the person coming should be Texas or Mostima, but he never expected it to be this woman he almost forgot.

Shining stepped over the dry bones, sheathed the sword in his hand, and the woven sanctuary collapsed. Zhuang Ning knew that the woman was not willing to use her own power. She had confessed such sin to him on the deck.

But no one could deny the holiness of this woman when she drew her sword, as if the whole world was about to submit to that brilliance.

Zhuang Ning felt that this world was ridiculous, and quietly distanced himself from Shining, with fear, suspicion and alienation in his eyes... He could tolerate many things, but betrayal was his bottom line.

Shining was stunned for a moment, her heart ached, but she didn't know what to say when she opened her lips. What could she say? She knew very well that what she had done was irreversible.

——After all, who could forgive a woman who almost killed him?

The reason why Shining joined Rhodes Island was Liz, her good friend and sin. This white-horned Sarkaz was born into a noble family of pardoners, with a bloodline that has been passed down for thousands of years. She can be called the aristocrat among the nobles of Kazdel.

In the past thousand years, Kazdel has been ploughed by war again and again. The ancient royal court had to stop fighting and lower its head to behave itself, only occasionally shouting out the glory of the past in gatherings.

But the Pardoners are different. They are always high above, overlooking the rise and fall of Tikaz. Even the nobles who look down on the demons the most treat them with courtesy. The last person who made a Pardoner surrender was Tracys, an ordinary demon who emerged from the flames of war, but relied on his obsession to forge himself into the leader of the royal court.

Although the Pardoners are not from the royal court, they enjoy great honor. All of this comes from their magic. Different from their counterparts who are close to death, the white-horned demons are committed to delving into the mysteries of life and bringing spring to ancient trees. Throughout history, countless nobles have spent their fortunes just to ask the Pardoners to prolong their lives.

Shining's life trajectory should have been like this. She should have grown up ignorantly, inherited the family's magic, and combined with her brother to give birth to the purest offspring. Before adulthood, Shining's life was not confused.

But who made her notice it?

Life and death are adjacent to each other, and prolonging life often means more killing and abuse. The sins of this family and the darkness behind it are far greater than the girl imagined.

These things crushed the girl's pride, and she chose to betray and left with a girl named Liz. She felt that the girl was her sin, and her greatest wish was to cure the girl's illness.

After the Londinium incident, Shining was willing to participate in the incident in order to find a way to cure Lizzie. Scout used a gun to warn against the enemy, and she used a sword to protect Zhuang Ning from the assassin's attack.

From Shining, Zhuang Ning learned about the inheritance of the Pardoner.

Shining still remembers that the day she confessed was a nice morning, the sky was full of morning glow, and there were only her and Zhuang Ning on the deck.

After hearing everything, the man didn't seem to be shocked and nodded quietly.

"Aren't you afraid? The sins of a pardoner are often the continuation of life."

"So you feel guilty too." The doctor smiled. "Why don't you tell Liz and Lin Guang? They will definitely support you. This is how you got here."

Shining held the sword and suddenly laughed: "Lin Guang is too dazzling, as for Liz..."

"You are afraid of what she will do to you if she wakes up." Zhuang Ning shook his head, "You are a good person. At least I will stand by your side."

At least I'm on your side - he's a man of his words, and that's his oath.

Shining was in a trance, she thought maybe she should be one of the people closest to the doctor? After that conversation, Zhuang Ning entrusted Shining with his safety, and the girl lived up to expectations.

But then you betrayed me?

When the head of the Absolver's family, a demon who claimed to be his brother, found you and took off his mask, you betrayed him.

"Sister, I thought you should know that sometimes the hardest part is making a choice."

"Liz is in my hands. You can definitely save her, but I hope you can kill the doctor. We are all afraid of him. He may bring disaster to the Pardoner."

To this day, Shining still remembers the doctor's shock. After a tiring day and night, he walked out of the laboratory, his eyes under his bangs both tired and proud. He hugged Shining and said that he had a way to save Liz. Not only that, he could even bless all the infected people. If he was given a few more years, the infected people on this land would no longer have to endure the stones piercing their bodies.

Then he was horrified, opened his mouth, and looked at the sword with dead branches on his chest. His life force was rapidly fading away. He was puzzled and confused, as if he was crying. He saw Liz being held by the maid, and the white-horned Sarkaz man standing next to Liz.

His expression changed, he guessed everything, and the shock turned into sadness, and the sadness turned into calmness. He fell to the ground, spitting blood, and looked at The Shining.

It was such a disgusting betrayal, he was a smart man and guessed everything after a moment, he wanted to roar, but his lungs were punctured.

He watched as Shining crossed the distance and walked towards the Pardoner, silent as she walked. The Pardoner applauded, welcoming his sister back into his arms, fate was irresistible, no matter how powerful or brave the hero was.

Afterwards, Zhuang Ning woke up and Kal'tsit saved him from death.

That day he was furious and yet felt icy cold. He rejected everyone who came to meet him. In the darkness he stared at his wounds, and at that moment he came into contact with death.

I didn't expect that they would meet again on such a night. She saved me... Zhuang Ning sighed and said softly, "You are not late."

He smiled slightly but kept his distance. Trust was a very common yet precious thing, he would only give it to others once, and once it was broken he would never give it a second time.

Chapter 68: Betrayal cannot be healed

"When did you come back?" Zhuang Ning asked with a slight smile on her face, as if the previous betrayal had never existed. They were still close to each other and regarded each other as confidants.

Yes, even if betrayal hurts your heart, the girl in front of you also saved you. Sometimes Zhuang Ning hates the ability that the system gives him to remember. He is a monster wrapped in iron and stone, but when the memory emerges in his brain, the blood flowing in his veins will rage and boil, and then affect his mind little by little. Zhuang Ning must use a more determined will to expel useless emotions.

Now Zhuang Ning is the best actor. He can be a king who dominates the world, or a business tycoon who can collapse the Columbia Stock Exchange with just a flick of his finger. He goes in and out of Syracuse, dancing with the most beautiful girls in the best leather shoes, or he can be like a worker who is oppressed by life and can't breathe, living hunched over in a crowded house with rats.

But he always remembered the real Zhuang Ning. In fact, everyone is acting to some extent. The key is to be able to see clearly what you really want, right? That's why those Buddhist monks in Yanguo and Dongguo said that I am the only one in the world. Buddha said that nothing in this world is more precious than the self.

It was all worth it to be home.

"I just got back recently." Shining lowered her head. She hadn't seen this person since the night of betrayal. Her tone was so humble when they met again this time. "I received the message, so I wanted to come and see you."