Book 2, Chapter 12 - The Storm Is Coming

Love Code at the End of the World

“Luo Bing! If we don’t use it, we’ll lose both mother and child!” Harry stared at me with uncharacteristic seriousness. “At least we have a fifty percent chance of saving the baby too if we use it! Do you understand that?! Raffles is already trying his best for you and Second Sis!”

I know that Raffles is trying his best, but what do I do when it’s fifty-fifty?!

I was so panic-stricken. I’ve never made such an important decision in my life. It’s like I’m the family member who’s waiting outside the labor room and now has to decide whether to keep the mother or the child! Oh my goodness! I’m about to go crazy!

All of a sudden, Second Sis grabbed Raffles’s hand; Raffles looked at her in shock. Slowly, she nodded at him as she blinked her white eyes. She looked extremely determined.

Raffles beamed with joy and said, “I, I will get ready right now! Hurry up! Help Second Sis to the medical room!”

Second Sis had made her decision. She was going to take the gamble for her child!

Second Sis was tough!

*Wee-oo.* The city alarm suddenly went off. Why are there so many things happening at the same time?!

Everyone grew tense. The tension didn’t come from anticipating the arrival of a newborn child, but from the impending arrival of their enemy! 

Just then, one of Noah City’s guards, Sanjit, ran over. Noah City’s population totaled to two hundred something people, and I’d come to recognize all of them over the past few days.

Sanjit saluted, looking nervous. “Elder Alufa! Princess Arsenal! Qian Li noticed a flock of flying corpses heading in the direction of Noah City!”

The news instantly stirred a commotion among the people.

Elder Alufa’s face grew solemn. It was obvious that the crowd of flying corpses had come at the worst timing, giving him a headache.

These things happened sometimes. Usually, there was nothing much happening, but once something happened, one disaster would follow the other as if afraid of being left out of the party.

Everyone became apprehensive.

Just then, Arsenal stood up on her chair, and addressed the crowd with her bright and clear voice, “Don’t panic! Medical team, continue to help Sis Meizi!”

“Yes!” The members of the medical team got ahold of themselves at once.

Arsenal looked at Raffles. “Raffles, hurry with Second Sis’ treatment. Everyone, help to carry Second Sis to the medical room!”

“Yes!” A few strong men carried Second Sis and rushed her to the medical room under Raffles’s lead.

Arsenal’s composure soothed the rowdy crowd. Everyone who was originally uneasy calmed down. It was Arsenal’s steadiness that gave the people of Noah City the sense of security they needed. 

Elder Alufa sat back down on his seat as he nodded with a smile. I looked at Arsenal in admiration. I was already panicking when Second Sis began to bleed, but Arsenal was able to remain composed through so many incidents happening at the same time. She lived up to her reputation as the princess of Noah City, the leader of Noah City!

“DR team and scouting troop!” Arsenal looked to us.

“Yes!” Sis Ceci and Uncle Mason stood out at the same time. Sis Cannon and Xue Gie quickly stood behind Sis Ceci, while Khai and the others swiftly leaped down from the second floor to gather behind Uncle Mason with Harry.

Arsenal looked down at us as she stood on her chair. “Remember! Watch the flying corpses and act according to the situation.”

“Yes! Everybody, move out!” Sis Ceci quickly turned around. She then glanced at me. “Luo Bing, you are experienced in dealing with the flying corpse. Follow us!”

“Yes!” I followed closely behind Sis Ceci and Uncle Mason.

“Luo Bing!” Arsenal called and I turned around. She jumped off the chair, the skirt of her dress swaying as she landed. Looking at me gravely, she said, “Be careful! Second Sis is more human-like because she is pregnant, but the male flying corpses will be fiercer! You must be careful.”

I nodded earnestly, and immediately departed to the exit with everyone else.

Sanjit and the other guards were on duty to guard outside of Noah City. Hence, no matter what happened inside Noah City, they were not able to leave their posts without direct command. This was the discipline of an army. Otherwise, no one would raise the alarm when there was an enemy, and all of Noah City would be in great danger.

The flying corpses were considered a kind of threat. They would attack cities that they passed by and plunder for necessary resources. Unlike humans, they’d take only food and nothing else. In actual fact, it was not only the people in Ghost Eclipse City who were brutal - there were many bandits like them who also plundered and roamed in order to survive.

We ran out of Noah City and stood on the city gate. A strong gale blew against our faces. There was a pungent acidic soil scent in the air - it was going to rain. When the air grew moist, the smell of the soil would fill the air. The scent wasn’t that of fresh soil but an acidic foul smell.

Dark clouds were churning overhead, while lightning flashed in between, occasionally lashing out to hit the ground. The flashes of lightning formed a mutated tree of flames against the dark sky.

The storm is coming!

“Everyone disperse!” Per Uncle Mason’s command, the team members scattered to both sides of the gate. Joey jumped onto the city gate to get a better vantage point.

Harry and I ran to the highest spot on the city gate to look afar.

Xue Gie and Sis Cannon stood in front of everyone. Sis Cannon crossed her arms while Xue Gie faced forward in silence. The two of them stood in the wind with their hair whipping back in the breeze, looking extremely handsome. I couldn’t help but feel excited as I had yet to witness Xue Gie’s superpower!

Xiao Ying stood at the city gate with Sia who couldn’t control his superpower. Although I had never seen her use it, Xiao Ying’s superpower didn’t seem to be the offensive type.

Qian Li had said that the flying corpses had still been a distance from us when he’d seen them. As Qian Li was a clairvoyant, he could detect emergency situations ahead of time and give advance notice to the HQ of Noah City, which were Uncle Mason and Sis Ceci. This way, they would have enough time to prepare.

The entire world became deathly silent, just like the quiet before the storm. The air was so still it was like the oxygen itself had frozen, which felt suffocating. The change in air pressure made it feel stuffy. The storm was coming, and the golden lightning struck fear in the people.

Why would the flying corpses come by in such weather? The flying corpses wouldn’t normally migrate during a storm.

Could it be...? Were they here for Second Sis?

*Rumble.* Low thunder rumbled from afar, which made the people nervous yet delighted. A storm would bring about abundant rainfall, and Noah City’s main water source was rainwater.

*Rumble.* That wasn’t thunder but the sound of machinery running. The ground under my feet began to quiver mildly. I looked around and saw huge black boards rising in the northwest direction, one after another. The golden lightning gradually came closer. All of a sudden, the huge boards formed into a row of ‘walls’. The ‘walls’ started leaning at an angle of sixty degrees, creating a long slope and draining more rainwater into the reservoir!

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