Chapter 326: A Fractured Peace
by xennovel“Beep.”
In the quiet hospital room, Ye Xiaoan looked on in alarm as a swarm of Military Awakeneds flooded in.
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, each person flashed an embarrassed smile, silently urging her to pick up the call.
Perhaps thinking her brother’s call was more urgent, a frightened Ye Xiaoan shrank back before cupping the screen with her small hands, anxiously gazing at it.
She had already been told by the Military that her brother was fine — it was just the earlier news that had been so terrifying, leaving her in a daze even now.
“Xiaoan.”
The screen lit up in an instant.
Seeing the familiar face on the other side, Ye Xiaoan suddenly burst into tearful sobs, overwhelmed by the fear of what might have happened to her brother over these past few days.
Before she could see Yenir, she felt like a frightened deer surrounded by fear, her heart pounding with dread every second.
But now…her brother was truly safe — all the earlier panic was unfounded.
Between muffled sobs, she anxiously scanned Yenir’s half-visible figure as if searching for any signs of injury.
Only when she saw that he was unscathed did she finally relax completely.
Looking at his tearful little sister, Yenir’s eyes briefly flashed an almost imperceptible chill before softening into warm reassurance.
“Xiaoan, don’t cry. I’m okay.”
“I’ll be back very soon… very soon.”
Through the booming speaker, many of the Military Awakeneds in the hospital room heaved a collective sigh of relief upon hearing Yenir’s surprisingly calm tone.
Thank goodness, thank goodness…
They had all feared that if Yenir learned the truth, his anger would be uncontrollable.
Really, who could withstand the fury of that boy? Who didn’t know what kind of ‘madness’ Yenir had been involved in lately?
If they were held accountable, even if they had done nothing wrong, there was no doubt that everyone responsible for the military family compound would be questioned from top to bottom—all in a bid to appease Yenir’s discontent!
However, the relief was short-lived as Yenir’s voice sounded again from the other end.
“Xiaoan, did someone come into our house?”
“What did they do? Do you remember who they were?”
The sudden questions startled everyone.
Before Ye Xiaoan could answer, a Military Third-Stage Awakener, who had been listening intently, hurriedly interjected:
“Committee Member Yenir! It’s actually a misunderstanding!”
“It was indeed our oversight that allowed a group of temporary workers to break into your residence. They claimed to be acting on the orders of the Military Supply Department, and retrieved some items from your home. In the process, they might have misspoken a few things.”
“But rest assured, no harm came to your family! We immediately tightened security and apprehended the culprits!”
Taking a deep breath, the Third-Stage Awakener managing the call forced a wry smile:
“On behalf of our department, I admit our negligence. Please accept our apologies. When you return to the Capital, we promise to severely punish the responsible parties!”
After the rapid explanation, the imagined scene of Yenir reacting with either acceptance or anger never materialized.
All that could be seen on the call was Yenir calmly nodding and letting out a light laugh.
“Temporary workers?”
“Fine.”
“Xiaoan, are you scared?”
Her lips pressed tightly together, Ye Xiaoan gripped the edge of her clothes as she forcefully suppressed her feelings of grievance.
Listening to her brother’s tone—which didn’t seem truly angry—she somehow detected another meaning behind his words.
It was a maturity beyond her age.
The military man’s explanation was a lie; she clearly remembered a chubby official barging in that day, forcefully seizing items from her brother’s room.
Especially after finding a few fruits and a blood-colored crystal, those people were nearly ecstatic—as if they had been targeting those items all along.
That tone, that demeanor—there was no way it belonged to mere temporary workers!
Later, those people even tried to placate her by offering a bunch of snacks, hoping to make her ‘forget’ what had happened.
How could she ever just forget?
She remembered the haughty man’s sneering scold directed at her!
As if in perfect harmony, Ye Xiaoan slowly nodded her little head and whispered:
“I’m scared…”
“I remember… I was terribly frightened back then…”
On the other end, Yenir nodded slightly, as if understanding his little sister’s unspoken words.
Good.
“Take good care of Mom, Xiaoan.”
“I’ve got business to attend to; I should be back by the day after tomorrow.”
Without another word, Yenir smiled gently and abruptly ended the call.
He showed no sign of anger.
Because anger served no purpose.
His little sister remembered exactly who those people were, and even more clearly, who came to the hospital afterwards.
Since that was the case…
Standing alone in the open, Yenir slowly exhaled and looked towards the Capital.
“Threatening my family…stealing my things…and still thinking you can get away with it?”
“You really have a lot of nerve…!!”
His deep, simmering fury echoed through the empty central station.
In the pitch-black night, Liang Lie stood silently in the shadows behind Yenir. Watching the young man’s retreating figure, he remained expressionless, as if a mindless automaton.
Clearly aware of Yenir’s plans and intentions, he made no move to intervene, let alone report it to the Military.
Yet in his downcast eyes, a strange hint of recollection flickered by.
………………
“Ahhh!!!”
“Ahhh!!”
“My hand! My hand!”
“Give him a good thrashing! Hold him down! Everyone else, cover him!!”
Agonized screams and the overwhelming stench of blood filled the entire battlefield. Bursts of Spirit Energy burst forth repeatedly, momentarily illuminating the darkness.
Rushing in urgently, Luo Cheng, who had been clutching Bu Mingfei as she flew through the air, looked grimly at the brutal carnage unfolding all around. Without hesitation, he threw the woman aside onto the ground.
“This is the frontline you’ve never seen with your own eyes!”
“Only thirty-seven minutes remain!”
“If you want to survive, retreat through the gap in the fire net! If not, accept your fate!”
Speaking coldly, Luo Cheng took a deep breath and said no more.
Though he had once doubted the possibility of disaster with this woman, the moment he encountered a Sea Beast, his previously absurd assumptions were utterly shattered.
Just thinking about how this woman had delayed him and the others for so long, he had no time for further talk!
Behind them, more Awakeneds were arriving for ‘reinforcement’, quickly joining the fray in a desperate attempt to hold back the Sea Beasts, like trying to dam a flooded river.
But it was obvious that the fighting on the frontline was ten times worse than reported!
Along a battle line stretching for dozens of kilometers, death claimed lives every minute!
Forced to follow Yenir’s plan, the strongest mid-level and above Awakeneds were now exhausted, desperately dragging the most dangerous Sea Beasts in a wild escape.
They stood frozen in place, gasping for air.
It was as if their illusions had been shattered.
Bu Mingfei, abandoned and shattered, stared in despair at the scattered remains of dismembered bodies.
It was real…
The Sea Beast had truly arrived…
The agonized wails of soldiers, whose bodies were literally torn apart, were like a bucket of cold water jolting her awake.
Watching the crumbling defenses retreat, no matter how desperately stretched they were, she could only imagine how laughable her earlier ‘determination’ had been.
Thirty-seven minutes?! To survive, retreat through the gap in the fire net?!
No—how was she ever supposed to survive on her own?!
Before she could think twice, a giant crab clad in a blue metallic shell charged at her with terrifying speed.
Its sharp limbs, like daggers, pulverized the corpses scattered along its path.
In her eyes, the beast’s rapidly snapping jaws were enough to send chills down her spine. In the triangular maw, she could vaguely see fragments of shattered skulls.