Life is so unpredictable with its ups and downs.
Just a moment ago, Huai Shi was basking in the joy of a fruitful harvest, but he had not anticipated that Beelzebub would plunge his heart into an abyss with his next words.
What Gold? What Dawn?
How come, during a Fine Association gathering, those lunatics showed up?
He had always prided himself on having weathered great storms, yet now, when a real wave hit, he felt somewhat overwhelmed.
Incredible.
"Wait a minute, you know about Golden Dawn?"
"Joking aside, if it weren't for those Second fifths fighting a civil war in Utopia, how could the Heavenly Kingdom have been bombed…?" Beelzebub urged. "Run! I might be just a broken book and not afraid to die, but buddy, you're holding the Book of Fate. If those Second fifths see you, you're dead for sure! Run, run, run!"
BOOM!
With the booming sound coming from afar, the shrill alarm suddenly blared from within Group Star.
Beelzebub's frantic spamming came to an abrupt halt.
"What happened?"
Huai Shi was taken aback. "Why have you stopped talking?"
"Too late, we can't run. Buddy, let's go eat something nice…"
"Can't you say something positive for once!"
Huai Shi rolled his eyes and finally felt the rising sense of Death Perception deep within him—hovering around him, suffocating him.
Especially since that black-hearted woman, Raven, had gone off gallivanting who knows where.
Leaving him alone—weak, isolated, and helpless—to face this mess. A feeling of unease crept over him. Luckily, he had called for reinforcements; otherwise, he really wouldn't even know how he had died this time...
At this moment, Huai Shi found himself yearning for Power more than ever.
"Time is of the essence, so let's skip the chit-chat today," he said to Beelzebub, hurriedly asking, "Are you of any use?"
"Can't you tell?"
A string of ellipses, full of speechlessness, flashed on the cover of the Steel Arts, expressing its disdain for Huai Shi's shortsightedness before proudly declaring its Superpowers in bold, enlarged font.
"—I can speak!"
"..."
Huai Shi took a deep breath, trying his best to keep his smile from twisting. "Besides that?"
"Besides that, I can also perform over three hundred segments of stand-up comedy, crosstalk, and selections of storytelling!" Beelzebub boasted with pride in Huai Shi's consciousness. "If you don't believe me, I can deliver a segment from 'Tong Lin Legends' right now. Auden used to love this when driving!"
"Maybe I should just drop you off to see Auden then."
Smiling, Huai Shi reached over, rolled down the car window, and grabbed the Steel book, intending to throw it out.
"Hold on, buddy, I was just kidding!" Beelzebub immediately panicked. "Be careful, careful, look outside!"
As he spoke, the distant seascape shuddered with a thunderous tremor.
Columns of sharp crystals broke through the sea amidst the thundering roar, leaving Huai Shi dumbfounded. It was only after the subsequent eruption of massive booming that he realized he had once again stumbled onto a battlefield where gods clashed.
This is fucking ridiculous!
Huai Shi wanted to flip the table.
They wouldn't even need the Golden Dawn; any one of those powers could simply lift a leg and stomp, and we'd all be done for, right?
"Mr. Fan, are you there?"
Huai Shi looked at the Bracelet assigned to him and began to skillfully seek help. "What's going on?"
"The driver's cabin has been attacked, currently suspected to be Morando, High Priest of the Fine Association. Miss Ai Qing is safe. Andrea is en route to support, but Amadin is injured and has fallen into the Rotting Dream."
Yan Shi reported succinctly, "I've temporarily taken command. Emergency measures have been deployed. Please immediately head to the shelter to maintain order. You'll be included in the first evacuation batch. Also—your friend seems to be in some trouble."
In the projected images, Yuan Zhao, amidst the crowd, slowly opened his eyes. They were bloodshot, and his arms were beginning to mutate inch by inch.
Damn it, little brother, why are you so unlucky!
Huai Shi was stunned. No longer hesitating, he dashed off, following the directions.
In the corridors, a squad of Casting Iron Army soldiers were already in position, surrounding him as they sprinted towards No. 7 Shelter. Utilizing the transference tracks and launch devices, within seconds, they landed on the bottom floor of Group Star.
No. 7 Shelter also served as the emergency launch evacuation center. Inside, chaos reigned.
Hundreds of passengers, catalyzed by Morando, had instantly transformed into Erosion species, starting their wanton hunting and fighting amongst the people. Even with many Sublimators present, the situation was rapidly spiraling out of control.
Until Huai Shi, with the Crystal Grid Squad in tow, burst open the doors of the shelter.
He pulled out the Axe, cleaving in two an Erosion species that had pounced on a child, and left the child in the pool of blood, with no time to worry if it would cause any psychological trauma. His Spear of Compassion appeared in his hand, sweeping through the crowd.
The fragrance of the Iris flower spread, making those shoving at the front, trying to rush out, go weak at the knees.
Subsequently, Huai Shi pulled out his pistol and fired directly at the ceiling.
"Astronomical Society to the rescue! Nobody move!"
Amidst the booming noise, the tumultuous crowd fell silent for a moment. Then, the Casting Iron Army soldiers who had filed in behind Huai Shi knelt, aimed their firearms forward, and pulled the triggers at the Erosion species.