Night fell as Yue Fei’s blade struck down the last of the white humanoid creatures laying before his eyes a sea of dead bodies littered the ground around them. Blood fluids soaked the white concert pavement ground around them mixing together in different patches of colored fluids and gore.

The battle was finally over looking over his shoulder he found himself surround by dead bodies everywhere though now hidden under a blanket of darkness, his eyes adjusted to the dark around him now as he can make out the outlines of the corpses before him.

But the job was still not done yet as he forced his body to move he tapped at the controls in his left vambrace as a pair of light shone from his shoulder collar from built in led light bulbs. The night parted away from where the light shone, now Yue Fei couldn’t make out his surrounding even better he notice immediately that he was meters away from the rest of the group again. Seeing that he hurry went back to the rest of the group at first carefully weaving his way through the maze of bodies decorating the ground around him, before he got impatience and decided to simply push his way through the corpse.

Crushing bits and pieces of disembowel bodies underfoot ignoring the squishing sound of flesh being pressed on or the crackling noise of bone and hard shell fragments, Yue Fei pushed forward all the while disregarding the bodies around him as if just pebbles till he reached his destination.

In the beams of his lights he could make out the gore-fifth covered silhouettes of his companions they were alive for the most part as far as he could tell among all the carnage. Most of the party collapsed where they were, seized by muscle cramps in their first moment of peace in untold hours.

Mi Liu was on all fours barely holding himself up from planting his face upon the ground, Yue Yang was laying prone along the ground on his back, though slightly arched due to his suit his head still bare he was breathing hard through gritted teeth. Yue Fei honestly couldn’t tell if the blood stains covering his face were his own or not hopefully it was the latter. His massive chainsword was next to him clasped tightly in his palm its overworked engine was venting heavy smoke it paintwork was recolored in the miss matching patches of the creatures blood. Kim-sing sat back to back with Yang Yuhuan leaning against one another for support; a wall of bodies laid about around them shielding their forms for a second before Yue Fei could find them.

Han Zhou similar to Yue Yang was collapsed lying atop the last beetle creature he’d slain. At the creature’s head or what remained of it stabbed into its exposed flesh were his side two Huti Shuang Tao | HudieShuangDao or Butterfly Swords.

Shen Yi at his side laying about with his two Shih Wei Fu | Shi Wei Fu or Imperial Guard Axes nowhere to be seen, probably lost during the last few minutes of fighting. Shen Yi’s trembling hand managed to drag his starched up helm free, baring his face to the cool night air Shen Yi sucked it in, in great wet heaves.

Others too were in similar positions Zhongqing and Zheng Qing the Twins, now on their knees holding each other up, Han Xin not too far from them was on one knee ironically facing the bright moon with its light shining down upon him, while gripping at the handle of his sledgehammer mimicking a stance similar that of an ancient knight would have took when in prayer before a battle or a duel.

Seeing all that in a quick glance Yue Fei kept moving towards the direction that he needed to go there in the beam of his light he found what he was looking for. Wei Li Jing was there still kneeling over the still form of Mengya hand moving over him still.

“How is he?” he asked once he reached Wei Li Jing’s side dropping hard onto his knees kicking dirt up into the air as he landed, he spoke through wheezing breath barely scarping the words out of his throat as he rasped for air that he himself was denying his lungs.

“Not good he’s losing too much blood I can’t close the wound fast enough I need something else, another method to seal it that will be all that I can do for him at this we need to find real help or he’s not going to make it.”

Wei Li Jing replied his eyes never turned away from Mengya’s body his hand was covered in slick red of blood from Mengya’s wound. His hands though still pressed against the wound blood was still seeping through even as he placed more bandages on top of the wound not long after it darkened with thick red crimson replacing its original white like the rest.

“Something to seal his wound, we need something else to-” at that very within Yue Fei’s mind a light bulb came on suddenly he had an idea.

He lifted his blade still gasped in his hand it was still humming and thrumming with life its edge sizzled with smoked as it emitted from the edges of the blade due to the blood covering the blade.

“Here I have an idea.” Yue Fei said as he moved closer to Mengya gesturing him to move aside Wei Li Jing made no complaints even seeing Yue Fei with his sword at hand. Once Yue Fei was positioned above Menya’s body He then pressed the edges onto his flesh the sizzling of flesh overwhelmed him filling his nose with the smell of burning as Mengya screamed under him.

“Hold him, hold him” he order as he continued not minding Mengya’s cries of pain Wei Li Jing did so all the while saying comforting words trying to keep Mengya trying to ease the pain.

“Mengya hold on you hear me, hold on don’t you dare die on me do you hear me.” Yue Fei commanded in broken words speaking in between breaths as he continued to press his sword onto Mengya’s wound. It seemed to be work the wound not seemed to be closing.

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“How can I die before I could repay you back you ha, hrgm~! You-you still need me.”

Wei Li Jing replied back with bit of weak humor trying to put on a tough act but it was no use he was too weak, his last strength gave out as his head fell back down now weakly wheezing through his mouth. Yue Fei looked upon his head and checked to make sure he was still breathing, his face was cleaned his gash was stitched up underneath the wrappings pointing out form the sides. His face was pale white however though even in the light as his lips were turning into a dark shade of purple and his eyes are becoming more unfocused.

“That did it, it won’t last but it should hold him till we get him some actual treatment….if there is any out here.” Wei Li Jing whispered the last part of his sentence under his breath as he moved to do the finishing touches wrapping a fresh bandage around the wound, as Yue Fei moved aside knowing he was no longer need.

Yue Fei’s vision suddenly darkened for a bit before finding himself slumped to the ground on his knees, his muscles began aching in spasm, and he found himself physically unable to bring himself to rise. His right shoulder seized hours ago, yet there had been no respite. It throbbed with crippling cramps from the sheer repetitive weight of hammering his sword down over and over again, thousands of times in the last hour.

The adrenal-spikes in his blood were wearing off, forcing him to confront the reality of his overworked body. They haven’t have sleep for maybe two or three days now, he was poisoning himself with sleeplessness. His thoughts prey to the distortions of a brain refused the mercy of rest. His body ached with pain he hasn’t eaten a decent meal for a little over two to three days as well now his body was eating itself for nourishment. He struggled to stay aware but his eyelids felt heavy he wanted to sleep he was so tired.

No! He couldn’t fall asleep here not now Yue Fei fought the feeling with his failing mind but it was no use he need something stronger something that will wake himself up. Then it came to him he tried moving his arms but failed after two more tries his arms finally shifted, he was finally getting back some sensation in his aching arms.

Slowly but surely he was able to shifted his arms slightly then move them once he had a firm sensation in his limbs again he clenched his fist hard. Before then with a forceful will that he could muster up then –

Bam!

His eyes went fuzzy due to the impact of his fist meeting with his right cheek, he clubbed himself so hard that he nearly rolled over to his side but he held. His visions cleared after a few second or two as he slowly forced himself on his two feet, he then began wobbling his way through the maze of corpses again heading toward the dark gaping entrance of the warehouse that they were hiding in hours ago.

With his suits lights to show him the way he walked frustratingly slower than he wished as he went through the shelves pulling boxes and crates down little care of damaging the items within as they crashed onto the floor with loud bangs. The boxes and crates busted open and out spilled out the contents spilling upon the floor like a human’s innards rumging through the piles looking for something.

Finally then Yue Fei found the exact items that he was reaching for he grabbed them and wobbled his way back outside to the spot where the rest were still at. He made his way straight back towards where he left Mengya’s and Wei Li Jing at and just causally dropped what he had in his arms. They fell to the ground with a light hollow clang, as he laid them out the items in question being two metal poles and a thick sheet of blanket.

“What are you oh - ”

Without even bothering to answer Wei Li Jing’s question which he stopped midway as he realized what Yue Fei had in mind, an improvise litter using a blanket and poles.

Yue Fei first open the blanket and lay one pole lengthwise across the center; then fold the blanket over the pole, he then placed the second pole blanket over the second pole and across to the first pole. He finished by folding the free edges of the across the center of the folded blanket

“Help me move him onto the litter.”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea to move him right now though.” Wei Li Jing hesitated for a moment before Yue Fei urged him again.

“Well its better than leaving him out here in the cold, it’s getting colder here by the second come on we’ve got to move.”

Slowly but surely and as gently as they can they shifted and Mengya’s body till he was ontop of the litter once they were sure that he was on it they slowly raised him up in-between them. By this time the other was also on their feet helping each other for those that need aid in standing with their extreme muscle cramps and aches.

“Come on we’ve to get back inside for the night.” So the group moved slowly back towards the workshop when Yue Fei and Wei Li Jing carrying the now sleeping Mengya between them at the lead of the group.

“And then what?” Mi Liu asked walking up to Yue Fei as he turned to him.

“What?”

“What do we do then what’s the plan.” Yue Fei turned his head away and hesitant before saying

“There is no plan the only thing we can do is just survive the night if we are still alive tomorrow come on we’re almost there just a little further.”

It was a long excruciating walk back into the workshop that felt like eons have passed, in truth however it couldn’t have been more than five minutes as the grouped limped their way through the corpse filled grounds and into the workshop. Once everyone collapsed inside behind the bay door Mou-ming slammed on the button that forced the doors to closed, then he too fell down to the floor with a loud thud. Not long after each member collapsed on the cold floor and the sound of the door slamming down upon the ground did silence envelope the space within, but that silence was soon broken by the snores that soon came from the exploration team passed out along the floor.

Yue Fei and Wei Li Jing still carrying Mengya carefully settled him now holding him up in between two crated acting as supports on both ends of his litter. Once down Wei Li Jing pulled a nearby blanket to cover Mengya’s body before collapsing beside him his light snores joined in the mismatched melody of snores around him.

Yue Fei too slumped down to his knees his long depleted strength is gone yet still he would not succumb to the darkness clouding his vision, he couldn’t stop Yue Fei didn’t know why but he knew that if he stopped now he wasn’t every getting back up there was still something that needed to be done.

“Wait.” A voice so low like came out behind him Yue Fei grunted with effort to turn his head he meet with the eyes of Wu Song who had pulled off his helmet.

“Where are you going?” Wu Song spoke through broken breaths him speacking was now denying his own lungs the air he needs.

“I – I don’t know somewhere there has to be something here…..something that we can use.”

“Ah~, hang on……(grunts) I’m coming too.” After Wu Song got back on his feet with Yue Fei’s help the duo set off through a back door of the workshop, not willing to open the bay door and wake the rest up. They slowly trotted their way through the dark empty hallway their heavy footsteps echoed off the walls around them. Yue Fei and Wu Song tried to turn back on their suits lights but no light came ‘shit’ he thought to himself the battery pack must be empty, it was also at this realization that Yue Fei just noticed that his suit felt significantly heavier. The light displays along its frame dimmed and then disappeared Yue Fei and Wu Song took one heavy step forward, then another, but it was real effort stamping heavily onward as if its gravity had increased threefold.

They walked on for a few long minutes down the hallway which should have a few seconds, feeling along the walls on both sides it was only till Wu Song felt the familiar bump of a door knob he called out.

“I found a door.” His voice barely a mummer but it reached Yue Fei who made his way across the other side his eye finally adjusted to the darkness around him. The duo struggled with the door as it was locked banging with their body against the door frame using their massive weight as leverage against the door. Taking turns between them as there was only room enough for one to effectively ram against the door it was only on the fifth try on Wu Song’s turn the hinges on the door came undone.

The door fell inward in the space its frame clanking heavily as it echoed loudly in the dark hallway the pair was still standing in.

“Dude…..check this out.” Wu Song who still in front of the doorway said softly as his eyes was focused on what he was looking at inside the storage, his eyes widen with a look of shocked and joy replacing his still sweaty tired face.

Yue Fei walked over curious at what he was looking at turned to see what Wu Song was looking at Wu Song moved slightly to the side to allow Yue Fei space who then froze, his eyes opened wide despite the heaviness that weight down on them.

“Damn.” Was the only word that he would voice out in fact it was the only word that would come to his mind.

Damn