Chapter 34: Old Friends

"No. No. No! Move! Stupid beast, move! Sh*t! Move. Come on! Come on!" Shaft's fist whistled, the fear of the upcoming monster forced him to punch the beast. He even forgot to wrap his hand with the dark aura.

His hands bled dying the white-furred beast crimson, a cracking sound arose from his bleeding fist. Yet, fear had poisoned Shaft. His sense of pain, forgotten as he shivered.

A tint of crimson slowly painted his fluttering hands, dripping into his twisted yet shivering finger. The bubbling tension sculpted mountains and valleys on his face. Furrows deeper, and his eyes bloodshot. His simple fear shifting into a wave of maddening fit. His emotions swinging everywhere, a crazy glint burning within his pupils.

Shaft shifted his bloodshot eyes, huffing cold air, spreading the scent of rust. A light stain of smudgy cherry dripping from his thick lips. The door slowly opened, the smell of blood corrupted the air. With every creaking sound, he felt his soul leaving his body. No ordinary fear can render him into such a poor soul. With a steady gaze, he watched, reason shredded and gone.

Shaft knew that he was about to meet his maker.

And this maker...doesn't like him very much.

In a fling of a moment, he saw a shadow appearing from the creaky door, his face twisted. The soul within him lurched, bowing in obeyance. Yet, his eyes shone both in trepidation and fear.

A wry smile yet happy smile flashed on his face. "My god."

…

The reinforcements from the city government had arrived faster than Zhou Qi expected. It only took them less than a half-hour to get ready for action. It was Trent's own squad of wielders.

They wore unique equipment made of zealot parts. A dark eerie staff, wood-like bracers, and many more. No doubt they looked weird. They wore antiques from ancient times, while some like from the old sci-fi movies. From the looks of it, each piece of equipment was crafted and smithed with precision and tons of zeals. Fit and exact according to the gifts of the wielder who owned it.

"Hi friends, what's up? I dearly miss you all." Zhou Qi waved his hands towards the newcomers as if he was meeting a few long lost friends. A nagging smile rising from ear to ear, casting a taunting U-shaped arc.

The newly arrived wielders, upon seeing Zhou Qi, grimaced. A scowl dripping bloody from their tired faces. Their lips hitting their chin. Their eyelids fluttering in displeasure and irritation.

One of the reinforcing wielders strode towards the loan shark. The man's sharped eyes zeroing like a wild hawk. "Zhou brat, it's you again huh. Why is it that every time I see you, the case is bound to be troublesome? Does your luck suck? Sucker!

He turned his head towards his group, "Men sucked your balls, Zhou Qi the unlucky sucky brat is here."

"Same same, you know major? Every time I meet you, I always fall into trouble. Your stiff face stiffens all my luck. Well, it's okay, your mostly flings and designs anyway. We can do it all for you." Soon, sparks flew in the air, tension building up within the two groups.

The two had met each other in various operations. Most of it, encompassing the big cases. Stupid Bu, zealot infestation, drug crimes, human trafficking, and many more. Rather than hate. It was more of a competitive relationship.

Aside from that, the Trent-affiliated wielders felt like they were subpar and lacking. The city-state requesting help from a for-hire merc was quite a big slap to their rotting pride. Not to mention, that their bosses were asking a gang boss like Zhou Qi for help. The chief gangster of the slums.

A bubble of shame kept the wielder officers from getting lax. Every time this four-month-old gangster was in play, they always turn into mere lookers.

In the last four months, Zhou Qi had already met these guys in almost all the commissions he handled. Competing in all fronts, may it be kills or the number of successfully finished cases.

A rumbling voice echoed in their ears, "Move out brats! No postering!"

The voice was from the old city lord. It seemed like he was starting to get impatient. The wielders immediately saluted before moving inwards, ignoring the Law Bar's trio.

"There's a beast there take care of yourselves. Consider this as life or death training."

The major threw a barbed look at Zhou Qi before commanding his men again. His team proceeded with haste and resoluteness.

Zhou Qi chortled, shifting his head to his colleagues. "Safety first, don't get reckless."

Two calm nods met his words.

The Law Bar's uncanny mercs dashed towards the zealot and the wielder. "Our main priority is the luckless kid. Once he's saved, we focus on other things. Remember are principles when dealing with this type of operation."

Cheng Shi rubbed his chin, thinking deep. It seemed like he was not informed again. Did the boss really talk about principles? He felt like the loan shark was making things up once again. His boss? Principles? Heh!

Cheng Shi crossed his eyes to Sasa. Even so, he was only met with a shrug. The girl doesn't know or doesn't care. Thus, adapting and asking was the only way left. "Principles?"

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Zhou Qi grinned. "Buddy before Money."

…

After the short talk about the new principles, the trio set up their goals. The three dashed inwards, aiming to save their new unlucky member.

"Fatty, give us a heads up."

Soon, a ring echoed from their intercoms. They tapped their earpiece.

"Nice timing, I got something."

"Bad news or good news?"

"Well, I can't say. But a big fat furry thing is moving towards everyone, in 10, 9, 8,7,6…"

Zhou Qi's eyes widened, he felt a cold shiver whipping his heart. His instincts shouting for him to ran. "Cheng Shi, Sasa stop. Damn, retreat!"

***

Roar!

Zhou Qi dragged down everyone nearby to the ground, all the other wielders to safety. Like a dream, he flashed before their very eyes, leaving a series of blurry mirage. Puffs of dust danced in the air, his speed stopping the others behind from taking a haphazard rush.

Soon, a nerve-wracking roar echoed in the whole building. The thundering bellow shattered the windows and glasses, blasting it to smithereens. The whole building trembled like there's a massive earthquake. A few blocks of columns fell from the ground along with all kinds of glass shards and breakables.

After the shaking, cold sweat dripped down on everyone's back. The one's whom the loan shark saved threw grateful nods towards him.

They almost died.

"Take cover! Hell, something big is coming!"

Booming sounds trembled in the air as if something was rising from the underground. It sounded like a gigantic eagle flapping its wings. A powerful gale filled with dust blocked everyone's sights.

One of the wind-attribute wielders used his gift to washed away the rolling dust.

Zhou Qi finally saw the source of the flipping winds and mighty blast.

It was the zealot.

ROAR!

The skies above rolled along with cackles of thunder and lightning.

Zhou Qi raised his head and saw a gaping hole above the ceiling. The loan shark's pupils shrunk. Most of the ceiling was gone from his sight. He could feel his muscles stiffening as he saw a winged white tiger pronouncing its majesty. A grand entrance laced with thunder and lightning.

"So...that's the pet." Zhou Qi uttered, his face darkening with every second. Hate eating something akin to a piece of flesh.

Sensing the gazes from below, the winged tiger lowered its eyes. Its gaze was like a kid bully looking at ants. It made everyone's heart skip a beat.

A static echoed on the earpiece of the Law Bar members, "Yep, that's the pet."

Zhou Qi's eyes burned, his hands itching to kill the lightning clad beast. A thirst for battle arising from the depths of his heart. He wanted to torch the ass of the haughty zealot to death. His muscles were getting stout, his fingers digging on his pale palm.

Cheng Shi immediately dashed towards Zhou Qi. He added a bit of strength in his arms as he held Zhou Qi's shoulder. "Calm down. Don't."

"Hmnn." Zhou Qi took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He moved his eyes and saw the worried eyes of Cheng Shi and Sasa. A glint of understanding and thanks lit up in his heart. "I know, thanks."

"System, threat level."

[System Notes: Fatally Dangerous! See that arching lightings? A hit and you're dead. Analyzing…A Grade-A zealot.]

Zhou Qi closed his eyes. "The furry thing is a grade-A zealot. An adult one. And guess what, none of us except the old city lord could handle this zealot."

"Fatty, I thought it was only a grade C?"

"Well, I thought so too."

Zhou Qi raised his head, looking straight at the dancing lightning arcs above his head.

"I think we must evacuate now or el-. Damn! Find cover."

Boom!

A flurry of lightning bolts fell from the sky. It rained down towards Shaft's self-made paradise. Tongues of flame rose, creeping hastily towards all the nearby buildings and houses.

Then…

It was followed by shrieks and screams coming from the terrified citizens.

The zealot moved its eyes in contempt, moving its large paws as if it was aiming at the ants below. Crackling thunder built its way towards its white barbed like furs, arching around its massive frame. The power of old mythological deities dancing on its paws.

"You beast!!!" A loud angry old snort echoed in the air, a loud ringing buzz echoed in everyone's ears. The snort had induced weird air vibrations, leaving many disoriented.

Zhou Qi hissed after hearing the voice, his head throbbing. He could taste a sweet metallic taste as he took a gulp. Meanwhile, the other wielders puked, swaying from left and right as they held their throbbing head.

The city lord turned his head down, "Men! Move everyone out! I'll handle the zealot. Wielders assist and cover those who are retreating!"

The police officers and the wielders immediately moved to secure the safety of everyone in the building. The others dashed outside to evacuate civilians outside. Each one of them, running to follow the orders of the city lord.

"I-I discovered this is a grade-C a few minutes ago. It seemed like it evolved." Fatty Jhin stuttered a little. Not all things could be controlled even with technology.

Soon, the wrath of the zealot fell in form of a lightning storm. The thundering echoed in the skies, streaks of red, blue, and white swirled in the night sky. Beauty and death streaking in the once cold night.

"Bastard, not on my watch." A light sound blared in the sky. The noise in the skies muted, an eerie calm pervaded the area. A gigantic white cage appeared in the sky. They could see the zealot roaring with its maw wide-open. Still, no sound could be heard.

The blaring rumbles went away. Yet, the eerie flashed continued to twitch like snakes in the night.

Everyone raised their heads and saw the white-tiger zealot moving its maws open, roaring in the air. Yet, no sounds reached their ears.

Zhou Qi saw the winged white-tiger zealot jumping in the air left and right. It was dodging something that couldn't be seen with plain eyes. He could also feel a powerful vibration in the air streaking towards the zealot. Two different forces fighting against each other.

"Sasa, Cheng Shi get the ordinary people out of this area." Zhou Qi ordered. He dashed towards the few officers, helping them move out of the rubbles.

"Copy boss!"

"Fatty, we need live data!"

The lazy taps echoing in their earpiece suddenly sped up. "Give a few seconds. And…done. I'm sending coordinates of the places that lack manpower."

Zhou Qi, Cheng Shi, and Sasa dashed, each of them moving in different directions. They were receiving various instructions from Fatty through their earpiece.

"Boss go inside and save the brats. Then go east. They need some powerlifting it seems like few guys are trap in a building."

"Got it!"

"Cheng Shi assist the police in securing the perimeter. A few of the hooligans we just caught are trying to escape. I also see a lot of stupid mutts walking out of their hole. Shoot them dead. Set an example, fast!"

"Hmnn."

"Sasa I need you to assist the evacuees. Don't let the crowd get rowdy. The officers are having a hard time."

"Fine!"

…

Muffled booms and rolling lightings rained down from the sky.

The officers and a few wielders paled, butterflies rolling in their stomachs. Even so, a few alert officers clicked their tongue, awakening the daze ones. "Tsk, we need to evacuate everyone out fast. It seemed like our presence is holding up the city lord."

"Move! Move out! Focus on the rescue!"

"Yes, Sir!"

"Roger that!"

The wielders and officers braved their fears, moving with speed, they immediately started to evacuate the confused citizens. Blaring sirens rang throughout the whole slums street. As the chaos ensued as fire trucks, police cars, and ambulance dashed to and fro.

…

A well-brewed disaster struck in a moment's notice, making the night far bleaker and darker.

[author]

Thanks for reading. The heart-button if you may.

[/author]