They continued to hole up in the tower. Water was running low by the third day, yet the number of insects below the tower remained about the same. No rain had fallen recently.
Elias stared down at the insects clinging to the tower walls. It still wasn’t the right time to strike, but they had to venture out to find water.
His brow furrowed. Transporting water would inevitably hinder their movements. They would’ve been better off with a food shortage instead.
Elias nodded to Belinda beside him. She went inside and returned moments later with eight young people, including Brian. They gathered around Elias, each carrying an empty backpack.
Elias addressed them, “As discussed earlier, we will be split up. Follow the predetermined routes and pack your back only half full at most. Safety comes first. Abandon the supplies if necessary. Each of you are invaluable as a combatant. Understood?”
After receiving acknowledgements from everyone, he continued, “We’ll provide cover fire once you descend. You’ll be on your own once you leave the tower’s range. We’ll maintain suppressive fire near the tower. If trouble arises, head back here at once.”
The group nodded in unison. Led by their respective captains, they circled the tower, selecting suitable positions to begin their descent.
Nearly everyone atop the tower stood armed at its perimeter, ready to clear a path for them.
Ye Wang stood motionless beside Elias. He wouldn’t participate in this operation. His turn would come next time.
Ye Muo instinctively rose from the corner, shackled once more. Elias had fastened the chains to his wrists again this morning. Perhaps no one had been available to watch him.
They were still wary of him.
Theodore gave Ye Muo’s ear a gentle nip from where he was perched on his shoulder. [Sit down, Xavier. Try to let them be.]
“But…”
Ye Muo glanced at the water flask he’d left in the corner. He’d been conserving his water, yet it had been nearly empty last night. It was heavy again in the morning. Belinda had secretly refilled it.
Under Theodore’s urging, he sat back down and murmured, “We’ve already changed things. I’ve depleted a significant portion of their supplies. This shouldn’t have happened…”
[Xavier, even without you, they would have needed to find a water source eventually.]
Ye Muo sat where he was, watching them descend one by one.
Brian and Belinda seemed to be in different groups. After Brian’s squad went down first, Belinda waved from the other side, grabbed the rope, and began her descent. She happened to glance over at Ye Muo before leaving. Their eyes met. She paused for a beat before quickly disappearing from view.
Ye Muo instinctively stood up to watch them leave.
As the young adults began their descent, those on the tower opened fire to clear a path for them.
Their figures soon vanished into the buildings. Elias stared fixedly in the direction they left in.
Someone bumped into Ye Muo. There was no time to do more than exchange a glance. They hurriedly set their machine gun down and took up position beside Ye Muo.
Ye Muo moved aside with his flask and food, trying not to get in anyone’s way. He retreated further inside and slumped down against a crate. He could see Elias and Ye Wang standing not far off, staring intently at the base of the tower, constantly issuing orders to those around them.
The atmosphere atop the tower had grown considerably more tense than before. Everyone remained at their posts, doing what they could, uneasy but not relenting.
They tried their best to suppress the swarm below.
Ye Muo waited uneasily.
Theodore’s tail wrapped around his wrist. [We’ll leave tonight, Xavier. We’ll go find that sword and a way home.]
Ye Muo nodded after a beat of hesitation. He was growing a bit homesick.
……
Every sword in the palace collection had been brought to the main hall. There were so many that a large portion ended up in haphazard piles to either side. At the very front stood Yinghui, stabbed slanted into the floor.
Norton stood before the broadsword, channeling his psychic power into it for what felt like the umpteenth time. A shrill buzz filled the hall.
Just before Ano feared the sword would shatter under Norton’s psychic assault, the hum abruptly ceased.
Norton let go and turned towards the throne above, leaving the sword without a second glance. Yet after taking his seat, his gaze locked onto it, unblinking.
Despite knowing that Norton knew his limits, even Bert, who usually trusted Norton, couldn’t help but remind him, “Don’t destroy it yet, Norton.”
He looked far more serious than usual.
Norton remained expressionless. Only Ano noticed how tightly his hand gripped the armrest, veins standing starkly against his skin. “It will be destroyed by me, sooner or later.”
The few Grantz in the hall remained silent. Ano didn’t dare to make a sound.
Only Bert spoke. “But not yet.”
Ano zoned out of their conversation. He stared at the sword, his mind in turmoil. Every corner of the Grantz palace was under surveillance, including the treasury. Moreover, the palace was also being constantly enveloped by Big Brother’s psychic power. How could Xavier just up and vanish like that?
……
After an indefinite amount of time, movement finally came from beneath the tower.
The people by the periphery grew restless. “Hurry! Pull harder!”
They clustered in one spot, lowering ropes.
Ye Muo, who had been resting his eyes, suddenly shot to his feet and strained on tiptoe to try and peer over the crowd.
Someone was soon pulled up. The crowd parted so he could be brought inside. All Ye Muo saw was the blood staining the person’s chest, chin, and most of their face.
Several more people were brought up in succession.
The last to arrive was Brian. There were only traces of blood on his clothes and hands. He set down the pack of water before informing the approaching Elias, “We only saved two portions of water.”
After a moment’s silence, he added simply, “One’s injured. The other was devoured.”
Brian then followed the crowd inside to check on his squadmate.
Ye Muo took a step back, watching him. The crowd parted to let him through. Through the gap, Ye Muo caught sight of the injured man’s face. He was ghastly pale.
Theodore felt Ye Muo’s arms tighten around him before quickly relaxing. He remained silent, saying nothing.
Elias raised his voice slightly, drawing some attention back. He rebuked them, “Don’t let up on the suppressive fire! Prepare to extract Belinda.”
Ye Muo withdrew his gaze. There was still a crowd gathered around the tower periphery. He made his way over after a beat of hesitation.
Unnoticed, he found an opportunity to hop onto a supply crate and peer down. The crate’s height meant he was taller than the tower’s perimeter fence now.
Belinda’s figure was slow to appear.
Only after ten minutes did figures approach from various directions, crossing the buildings and running this way with a few insects hot on their tail.
Ye Muo instinctively tensed.
Belinda brought up the rear, periodically glancing back to toss explosives at their pursuers. Those on the tower also fired at the insects, but some were already close enough to risk friendly fire.
Knotted ropes were quickly let down.
They latched on at once, with others above pulling them up.
Some of the pursuing insects hesitated near the tower. The walls contained king insect crystals, causing them to give up after a single hit. They dragged the carcasses of their fallen brethren away to be cannibalized.
Yet a handful persisted. One centipede-like creature scurried up the tower wall, clamping down on a squad member’s leg. He let out a piercing shriek as he clung desperately to the rope.
Ye Muo couldn’t help but tense like he was prepared to go down there. His holomind dagger also materialized in a flash. This was the only weapon he had on him, sourced from the memory metal of the device.
Theodore could tell what was about to happen. He abandoned his disguise outright. “Xavier!”
Though she was trailing behind, Belinda climbed swiftly. She turned, flung her backpack upward, then grabbed an adjacent rope and slid down.
She drew the machine gun mounted on her back and opened fire on the insect below.
The insect let out a shrill screech but refused to let go. Instead, the other end of its body twisted upward.
“Captain, watch out!” someone above shouted.
“It has a second mouthpiece on the other end!”
Belinda swiftly pivoted the barrel of her gun, only for the insect to take advantage of this instant, releasing her squadmate and tearing into her arm.
The rest of its body coiled around the two of them, obscuring them from sight in an instant.
The swarm below grew restless, erupting into waves of excited shrieks.
It all happened too fast for those atop the tower to react.
Elias’ eyes were fixed on Belinda. “Cut the ropes–”
Ye Muo leapt out before the last syllable left his lips.
Ye Wang caught Ye Muo’s silhouette out of the corner of his eye. He brushed past him like a big cat going in for the kill.
Ye Muo stretched out in midair, diving all the way down to Belinda’s position before using a rope to abruptly half his descent.
He braced both feet against the tower wall, jamming his dagger just below the insect’s skull. With a downward slash driven by momentum, he exposed its internal structure, only for the opening to instantly overflow with viscera.
The insect slowly released its grip, but its mouthpiece remains stubbornly clamped to flesh. Ye Muo swiftly severed its head to prevent Belinda from having a chunk torn off.
Each action flowed seamlessly into the next, the chains on his wrists clinking sharply with each movement.
Elias’ pupils contracted. For a fleeting moment, Ye Muo’s figure overlapped with the memory of the Grantz in his mind.
The crowd atop the tower fell silent. Elias was the first to react. “Pull them up!”
Belinda and the young man barely held on until they were hauled up before falling unconscious. They were quickly pulled inside for treatment.
Ye Muo was the last to ascend. He stepped over the edge of the railing and landed on the floor.
He stared down at his feet. Almost everyone was watching him, including Elias and Ye Wang.
Yes, his unusual method of arrival had sparked some discussion at first, but the settlement denizens paid him little mind after that. This was the first time he had fallen under such scrutiny.
Feeling slightly uncomfortable, Ye Muo walked back to his corner. He picked up Theodore and leaned against the supply crate. The cat kept fidgeting and pawing at his arm.
Elias dispersed the gathered crowd. “Go treat the water and prepare the antidote. Belinda and the others weren’t hit in vital areas so they shouldn’t be unconscious. They may have been poisoned.”
Yet people’s eyes still lingered on Ye Muo as they passed by.
Ye Muo slumped down against the crate and tried his best to ignore them. He linked up to his holomind to communicate with Theodore.
[I’m sorry, Theodore, but that was just–]
Ye Muo gripped the fabric of his shirt tightly. [I felt awful just standing there, watching.]
Theodore fell silent for a moment. [I understand, Xavier.]
He let out a soft sigh. [Do what you think is right.]
There was no point if his actions caused Xavier suffering. He would stand by Xavier’s side no matter what.
Theodore burrowed skillfully into Ye Muo’s arms, wriggling his shirt out of his grasp and comforting him. [We’re still together. It will be alright, Xavier.]
Ye Muo hummed in acknowledgment, tightening his arms around Theodore. [I’ll protect you, Theodore. We will go home one day.]
