Chapter 79 – Final Chapter: The Beginning of Vengeance

Volume 1 “Year of Calamity”

“Notify all combat units to retreat immediately!”

An Sheng’s effortless execution of two Advanced Purifiers was fully projected onto the holographic display before Chief of Staff Hu Biao.

Though Kunlun Base had numerous records of Lord Level Mutated Creatures, the strength displayed by An Sheng still shocked this decisive general.

Medusa was already formidable, yet with the Titan’s containment and the assistance of special armored warriors and warships, human forces could still put up a fight. But two Lords? This was far beyond a simple one-plus-one equation.

Moreover, the newly ascended Lord clearly possessed strength no less than Medusa’s. If the two joined forces, the entire fleet would likely face annihilation.

After brief consideration, Hu Biao decided to abandon the operation against the Alien Race and execute an emergency retreat.

With emergency retreat authorized, maintaining the Particle Signal Transmitter’s silence was no longer necessary. The Particle Signal Amplifier on the carrier activated immediately, broadcasting the retreat order to every combatant.

The large Anti-Gravity Airship rescuing Yushan also received the command. All Mechanical Soldiers switched to defensive postures – even the dozen robots besieging Xun Lili ceased attacking, instead driving her away from the airship while assuming defensive formations.

Xun Lili was at her limit. Fortunately, for reasons unknown, these Mechanical Soldiers showed restraint, otherwise she wouldn’t have lasted two more minutes before succumbing.

The moment she disengaged, overwhelming exhaustion washed over Xun Lili. She barely remained standing by leaning on her Electromagnetic Oscillation Battle Blade, preventing herself from collapsing.

But then the nearly exhausted Xun Lili saw retreating soldiers dragging Zhou Xiaoxiao onto the airship!

“Release Xiaoxiao!”

As Zhou Xiaoxiao’s closest friend who had witnessed everything at the fortress entrance during the battle, Xun Lili would never consent to the soldiers taking her away.

Ignoring her near-exhausted state, Xun Lili brandished her electromagnetic saber and charged toward the airship again.

Alas, rescuing Zhou Xiaoxiao proved impossible – dozens of cold Mechanical Warriors had formed an impenetrable defensive perimeter around the airship.

Even at her peak, Xun Lili couldn’t guarantee successfully retrieving someone from so many Mechanical Soldiers, let alone in her current depleted state.

Before reaching them, she was forced back by the Mechanical Soldiers’ overwhelming firepower, compelled to take shelter in the fortress bunker to evade their concentrated attacks.

“Xiaoxiao!”

Xun Lili cried out her friend’s name in despair.

Like An Sheng, she had lost much today. Like every Yushan survivor, she had considered Yushan her home and every survivor here her family.

Among the boarding crowd, Xun Lili spotted Ye Rong being carried onto the airship by two soldiers. Their eyes met as Xun Lili looked toward her.In their eyes, one held rage, the other helplessness. Xun Lili was filled with fury, while Ye Rong was consumed by despair.

This woman, blinded by hatred, finally saw the light when she witnessed innocent lives lost because of her—but it was already too late.

She was a sinner, an unforgivable sinner.

“I’ll kill you! You damn bitch!”

The airship’s hatch slowly closed, and Xun Lili only had time to spit out those words. Then, the airship that had nearly destroyed Yushan sailed away right before her eyes.

“Sis Waa Mom”

The heart-wrenching wails of a child snapped Xun Lili out of her rage-induced stupor. She turned to see Little Biscuit, so young, crying loudly beside a corner stone.

Instantly, a wave of sorrow overwhelmed Xun Lili, and tears streamed down her cheeks uncontrollably. She had endured the pain of losing loved ones before—it was a bitter taste. But why should a mere five-year-old child have to bear such suffering!

Xun Lili dropped her weapon, stumbled over to Little Biscuit, and swept her into a tight embrace.

“There, there, don’t cry. Big sister is here, don’t cry, wu”

Though she urged the child not to cry, she couldn’t hold back herself. Mid-sentence, Xun Lili broke down sobbing along with Little Biscuit.

As the Human Aerospace Carrier Fleet gradually withdrew, the battle in the skies also came to an end. Medusa did not pursue, for with those three Titans present, she stood to gain no advantage by giving chase.

An Sheng likewise did not follow, because even as he evolved into a cold-blooded Lord of slaughter, in his heart, his family in Yushan remained his top priority.

The moment the spherical cage vanished, An Sheng swiftly flew toward the bunker’s location.

Meanwhile, Xiao Xiao was still reeling from shock and fear. An Sheng’s evolution into a Lord had left an indelible psychological scar on her.

When An Sheng landed in front of the bunker, several survivors were gathering the mangled remains of bodies on the ground. It was Commander Zhang’s; though the hand grenade’s blast wasn’t massive, it had torn off one of his arms and left half his body a bloody mess.

Many fragments were fused with the soldier Old Zhang had dragged to their mutual demise. They didn’t want Old Zhang to rest in pieces, but the remains were too shattered—they couldn’t reassemble his body completely.

An Sheng stood dazed for a moment before continuing into the bunker.

Inside, the thick smoke from the successive explosions had mostly cleared. Fortunately, there hadn’t been much ammunition left at the gun positions during the blasts, preventing mass casualties. However, scattered shrapnel had injured many, and quite a few unlucky souls had lost their lives.

The Butcher’s charred body was fused to the anti-aircraft gun’s control panel. The small tracking missile that struck him was an incendiary bomb; the intense heat and flames had roasted his body to a half-cooked state.

Although the flames had been extinguished by the others, over half of his body was burned to charcoal. Yet, even so, his eyes remained wide open in fury—like a beast poised to devour its prey!

“How many of us are left?”An Sheng trembled as he asked a survivor who was bandaging a companion’s wounds. This was a woman—the daughter of the Little Old Man who had once hunted zombies with An Sheng downstairs during their time in the Tube-Style Apartment Building. Her name was Li Siman, and she had been studying medicine under Zhou Xiaoxiao.

“You’re Brother An Sheng?”

Though An Sheng’s physical appearance had changed, his voice remained exactly as before. Most of the young women in the Fortress liked An Sheng quite a bit, so they were naturally very familiar with his voice.

An Sheng didn’t respond verbally. He merely nodded, then continued waiting for the heartbreaking answer he dreaded. He didn’t even dare ask how many had died.

Seeing that An Sheng was still alive, Li Siman instantly felt overwhelmed with grievance and wanted to cry. But she knew this wasn’t the time for tears. Suppressing the urge to weep, she answered An Sheng’s question with a choked voice.

“Brother, some were taken away by those damned people on the Airship. Aside from those who died, all the survivors are here. Thirty-five remain.”

“Oh.”

An Sheng said nothing more. After that single acknowledgment, he joined the group tending to the wounded.

“I’m sorry!”

Just as An Sheng was bandaging an injured survivor, Wu Hongyu appeared behind him.

“It’s all my fault! If I hadn’t repaired that damned Particle Signal Transmitter, none of this would have happened!”

“It’s not your fault. It’s mine—I was too weak to protect everyone.”

An Sheng showed neither joy nor sorrow, his face practically expressionless. Yet even a fool could sense the suppressed rage and grief simmering within him.

“But—”

Wu Hongyu started to say more, but An Sheng cut him off.

“Since you’ve chosen to stay, help tend to the wounded. We’ll discuss other matters later.”

Hearing this, Wu Hongyu swallowed his words and silently wheeled his chair away, heading toward those who needed assistance.

Medusa had been standing at the Bunker entrance, watching everything unfold. She should have been the happiest about An Sheng’s evolution into a Lord, but seeing his emotionless state now, she found herself unable to feel any joy.

Though she couldn’t fully comprehend An Sheng’s pain, she could deeply sense the emotions he was suppressing. Medusa’s heart ached for him—this was her man, the Queen Medusa’s chosen one, and she didn’t want him suffering like this.

Medusa approached An Sheng slowly and asked softly, “What are your plans now?”

“Many of my family were taken. I’m going to find every single one of them. And those who died—their deaths won’t be in vain.”

An Sheng’s tone remained flat and cold, yet between the lines seeped an unmistakable, barely concealed killing intent.

“Good. Whatever you do from now on, I’ll help you.”

Medusa placed her hand on An Sheng’s shoulder. She didn’t know how to comfort this man, so this was the only way she could express her feelings.

“An Sheng, count me in for revenge!”

Xun Lili approached from nearby, holding Little Biscuit in her arms. Little Biscuit had always been closest to An Sheng. Hearing Xun Lili call out her Uncle An’s name, she eagerly scanned the crowd for his familiar figure.At this moment, An Sheng could no longer maintain his icy composure. A trace of pity appeared on his stern face.

He opened his arms to embrace Little Biscuit, but noticed she was staring at him with confused eyes—eyes brimming with tears.

“Little one, it’s me, your Uncle An.”

An Sheng gently spoke his own name.

His voice was familiar to Little Biscuit, and though his appearance had changed, she immediately recognized the man before her as her Uncle An. Unable to wait any longer, Little Biscuit threw herself into An Sheng’s arms, sobbing loudly.

“Don’t cry, little one. Uncle will protect you, always protect you!”

A man carrying a Type 81 rifle suddenly burst through the bunker door, shouting urgently: “Zombies! Those zombies are coming up again!”

Hearing this, An Sheng handed Little Biscuit back to Xun Lili’s arms and prepared to head out, but was stopped by Medusa.

“Let me go. Remember what I said—you’re my man, so your family is naturally my family too, as Queen Medusa. Count me in for protecting them.”

With these words, Medusa walked out of the bunker with her captivating gait. After a few steps, she paused and turned back to add:

“Count me in for revenge too!”

Without looking back, Medusa strode out of the bunker.

End of Volume One: “Year of Calamity”

Afterword

Volume One is complete. Having killed off so many beloved characters, I must admit I feel cruel. But there was no other way—the plot required this progression.

As the saying goes, “A general’s reputation is built on ten thousand bones.” An Sheng isn’t a general, but he is the protagonist. Previously, he was a rookie with a saintly mindset and cowardly disposition. For him to transform into a strong individual, such a brutal experience was indispensable.

Once again, I pay tribute to the characters who sacrificed themselves for the plot. Their names are:

Liu Pengyu, Old Zhang, Butcher, Su Yao, Skinny Monkey, Pighead Three, and those unnamed virtual characters who still gave their lives for the storyline. You are all heroes in Fatty’s heart!

Each and every one of you will be remembered.

The pure soldier Liu Pengyu; Comrade Old Zhang, commander of Yushan; the jovial Butcher Wang with his storytelling talent; the gentle and virtuous Su Yao who cooked delicious meals; and Pighead Three, who, though not human, gave his life to protect humanity!

May you all rest in peace!