Chapter 46: Storm is Coming
Xia Feng landed quietly on the ground, slipped his hands into his pockets, and sauntered toward the man. The spade symbol on his face morphed into a smiley face as he leaned forward slightly, taunting:
"Red card warning. Want to try again? I won't fight back this time~"
The withered man's expression darkened.
"Interesting. If you've got a death wish, I'll oblige."
He brushed off his sleeves, spat a glob of bloody foam, and pointed at Xia Feng, glaring coldly at the bartender. "Mino, I'm challenging this idiot—100 pick 20!"
"Wait," Xia Feng interjected.
The withered man cracked his neck with a mocking grin. "Rules are rules. You don't get to refuse."
"Is that so?" Xia Feng glanced at the bartender, feigning confusion. "What if I want to raise the stakes? Can't do that either?"
Mino's interest piqued. "Of course you can, dear guest. While you can't refuse a challenge, you can escalate it—and your opponent can't refuse that."
"But a friendly reminder," the handsome bartender added with a smile, "the winner still has to drink the remaining wine. Higher stakes mean more evil wine to swallow."
The withered man barked a laugh. "Fine, kid. Think you're tough? 100 pick 30, then! Let's see who croaks first!"
As a being corrupted by evil, he could withstand higher concentrations of it than a human, who'd die instantly upon contact. 100 pick 30 wasn't impossible for him.
"Okay." Xia Feng nodded. "Then I'll challenge 100 pick 90. Let's begin."
He strode to the bar, barely containing his excitement as he eyed the rows of evil wine. A free feast awaited.
The withered man stood frozen.
"You—you're insane!" he sputtered, scrambling to the bar. "Mino, wait! Hold on! I need to talk this over with the kid—"
But Xia Feng cut him off. "No discussions. Hurry up. I'm on a tight schedule."
"As you wish, honored guest." Mino bowed gracefully.
...
[Unknown number: A fatal breach has appeared in the Infinite Realm. Location: Pingshan Hospital on Bloodnight Street. The Divine Evil Society will invade District 51 within three hours.]
The Holy Ministry's meeting hall was tense.
Twelve figures of varying stature sat around a dimly lit round table, scrutinizing the intel on their tablets.
At the east end sat an elderly man in a white uniform, his right eye scarred shut. His remaining left eye, deep red and heavy with authority, surveyed the room.
A middle-aged man rose, voice grave. "Commander, we can't verify this intel quickly, but our spies in Divine Evil City confirm the Society is mobilizing."
Thud—
The old man's cane tapped the floor. "Enough. Activate the S-class war preparedness protocol."
"What?!" The middle-aged man blanched. "But Commander, this could be a hoax—we've been fooled before—"
"The intel is solid." The commander's tone brooked no argument.
The room stiffened. If the commander trusted the source, there was no debate.
"Li Sheng, you know Bloodnight Street. Coordinate with the military for civilian evacuation."
"Freya, Chen Xingdao—each lead a team to the heart of Bloodnight Street. Search for stragglers."
"Lin An, you'll command—"
...
District 51 sprawled across multiple cities.
Bloodnight Street lay in King's Landing, the district's central hub.
The wail of disaster sirens shattered the city's calm. Millions froze as emergency alerts blared: Gray World invasion imminent. Evacuate immediately.
Shops shuttered. Windows slammed shut. Crowds stampeded toward shelters, faces etched with panic.
Ambulances and military convoys screeched through chaos-choked streets.
Mushroom dashed into her villa's panic room—then stalled, fumbling for her phone.
Xia Feng's last message glared back: "Done with games. Heading to Bloodnight Street."
Her face drained of color.
BOOM!
Thunder detonated.
The northern sky split open. Lightning—white as dragonfire, laced with violet—speared down as black clouds crushed the city.
Then—riiiip—the sky itself seemed to blink.
A colossal fissure yawned amid the storm, spewing torrents of gray, tangible evil.
Gasps rippled through the city. That wasn't just fog—it was condensed corruption.
Ding-dong.
Freya's phone chimed. An unknown voicemail played:
"P-Professor Freya! It's Xia Feng—your student! He went to Bloodnight Street this afternoon and—static—hasn't come back! Pl—static—"
BOOM!
The earth trembled. Signal lost, Freya stared at the apocalyptic sky, jaw tight.
A monstrous shadow oozed from the rift—an [Empty Evil], a living bomb of corruption. Detonate it, and its payload would drown the city in evil.
Freya's stomach dropped. The Society's plan was clear: flood King's Landing until every soul twisted into an evil spawn.
Twenty of these abominations, and the city would be a graveyard.
She counted them now, emerging one after another. Each spanned a kilometer. Four or five already blotted out the sun.
The army advancing toward the epicenter looked like ants beneath them.
Crackling radios spat orders: "Director's command: Abort rescue! Full retreat!"
Forces peeled back—but Freya stood rooted. She replayed the voicemail, sighing. "That brat… always causing trouble."
Then—a robed figure streaked into the fog.
Freya blinked. "Master Chen? Why aren't you retreating?"
Chen Xingdao didn't slow. "Mu Qingtong—my friend's daughter—is still on Bloodnight Street. That frail girl picked now to wander there? Unbelievable."
(End of Chapter)