Volume One, Chapter Twenty-Four: An Unexpected Turn

Mist rolled in like a tide, surging relentlessly. The convoy of buses drove in single file, flanked on both sides by military units from the regional command. The students, at last, sensed the anomaly outside their windows. Inside the bus, an unusual hush fell, tension spreading silently among them—no one knew what was happening.

Glancing at Su Ziwen, who slept quietly beside him, Mo De found his mind unable to settle. The Calamity Church was a force unknown to the general public, yet every regional administrator avoided it at all costs; its members were all madmen. According to information found in “The Tide,” the founder of the Calamity Church was once the head of the Celestial School. During a pursuit of a traitor, he witnessed the dissipation of the “Second Cataclysm” elemental storm, after which he descended into madness, endlessly chanting the words “Supreme Power.” He vanished for years after stepping down as head, only to reappear as the first High Pastor of the Calamity Church.

The church’s creed was direct: become a disaster incarnate, and seek the Supreme Power. To become a disaster incarnate was to destroy all until being obliterated by the Supreme Power, thereby drawing mortal flesh near the divine. Their ultimate pursuit was annihilation; destruction was their means to that end.

“A bunch of pure fools,” was Li Changsheng’s assessment of the Calamity Church. But Mo De could not dismiss them so lightly. For him, even the lowest apostle of the Calamity Church was beyond reach. Whenever an apostle appeared, their destructive power was not to be underestimated—enough to trigger a city-level security crisis. Should one of the disaster incarnates emerge, it would take a throne-level powerhouse of equal standing to stop them.

The Qin City garrison must have only just received word of the Calamity Church’s appearance, as armed forces stationed around the Qin Emperor Mountains began to mobilize and gather. The soldiers escorting the convoy wore grim expressions, and even the bus driver, abandoning all pretense of smooth driving, floored the accelerator in a desperate dash for the Safe Zone.

Trailing at the end of the convoy was a troop transport filled with students pulled from the autumn hunt before they’d finished, their necks practically grabbed by the military. The convoy didn’t stop to rest, intent on crossing this ever-thickening mist as quickly as possible.

But the race against time ended in failure. There was a dull thud ahead, as if the convoy had struck something. Then the sharp crackle of gunfire and savage roars erupted; the convoy was forced to a halt by the obstruction. The sudden stop jolted Su Ziwen awake, who rubbed her eyes in confusion, glancing around.

“Form a defensive line and await reinforcements!” came the command from the escort unit’s commander over the loudspeaker. The bus driver shouted, “Hold on tight!” then stomped on the gas, wildly spinning the wheel. As everyone inside was tossed about, a circular defensive formation quickly materialized, the buses’ heads and tails joined. Clearly, these drivers were no ordinary men; they had drilled for such emergencies. Outside, the escorting troops swiftly established a battle line, their guns spitting fire and driving back the shadowy beasts lurking in the mist.

“Everyone, inside the defensive line! Don’t be afraid—Qin City reinforcements will be here soon. Hey, kid, toss your uncle a gun!” The driver, having jumped out, lit a cigarette, offered a few words of reassurance, then turned to help build the defense.

Carrying a dazed Su Ziwen on his back and dragging the equally unconscious Wu Fan, Mo De followed behind Ji Keqing and slipped inside the defensive perimeter. It was crowded with people—no class had been separated during the retreat; everyone had been rushed onto the buses. Seeing their classmates, some tried to move closer, and gradually the crowd grew noisy and chaotic.

Two gunshots, close at hand, brought instant silence. A female officer stood atop a bus, holstering her pistol. Clearing her throat, she began her introduction.

“I am Zhu Xiaoyu, staff officer in the Intelligence Division at the Safe Zone Base Command of Qin City, and your escort commander for the return journey. Who here is in charge?” Xiang Shuwen stepped forward, parting the crowd. “Xiang Shuwen, Student Council President, Eleventh Grade.”

“You’re in charge here now. No shouting, no troublemaking—can you manage?” Zhu Xiaoyu looked down at him from above.

“Yes, but I’ll need a loudspeaker,” Xiang Shuwen replied, adjusting his glasses. He had been trying to quiet the crowd, but his voice had been drowned out by the noise.

“Someone get him a loudspeaker.” Zhu Xiaoyu’s gaze was approving. She continued, “Here’s the situation, so you don’t all work yourselves into a panic. The convoy was just attacked by a mass of mist beasts. After forcing us to stop, their offensive has slowed. With our current firepower, maintaining the line is more than doable, and reinforcements from the Safe Zone base are already on the way. Rest assured, if anything happens to you, it’ll only be after we soldiers are all dead.” With that, Zhu Xiaoyu leapt down and rejoined the battle line.

“Gather in your groups, leave space for passageways, and keep your conversations quiet. Student Council members, come to me; everyone else, stay put and raise a hand if you need anything.” Xiang Shuwen’s instructions were concise. He switched off the loudspeaker and waited for the council members to assemble so he could assign responsibilities.

Mo De tossed Wu Fan aside, then fished out the protein bar and sausage he’d prepared before disembarking and threw them to him. He propped Su Ziwen against the bus, handed Ji Keqing a blanket, and asked her to look after Su Ziwen. Then, slipping between two vehicles, he peered outside.

Because of the thick mist, he could only make out the muzzle flashes on the front line. Each volley of fire was followed by the unwilling shrieks of dying mist beasts. Clearly, someone in the unit could sense enemy positions over a wide area. Convinced the line was holding, Mo De retreated to his friends.

Wu Fan had already started his “revival ritual,” wolfing down food, while Su Ziwen was gradually regaining her energy. Suddenly, as if struck by a thought, Mo De sat across from the girls and asked Su Ziwen, “Class president, is your ability space-based?”

Su Ziwen nodded. Ji Keqing, beside her, stared in disbelief. “We’re in eleventh grade and you still don’t know your own class president’s ability?”

“Heh... My ability awakening tests weren’t great, so I never paid much attention...” Mo De scratched his head sheepishly. Where had he been during the last ability exam? Oh, right—off in Europa’s disputed territories with Li Changsheng.

“Other than mine, he probably doesn’t know anyone else’s ability. He’s basically an ability insulator,” Wu Fan said, licking his lips as he finished his snack, both helping Mo De save face and poking fun at him.

“Ziwen’s spatial, I’m water—” Ji Keqing’s words were cut off by a thunderous explosion. The low murmur of conversation was instantly replaced by agitation.

“Stay calm,” Xiang Shuwen’s voice rang out, and the crowd settled. After a moment, he explained, “Just a normal rocket launch. Reinforcements will arrive in thirty minutes—no need to worry.” The crowd, though still uneasy, relaxed a little.

“Mo De, did you awaken your ability during the autumn hunt and break through to the Inspiration phase?” Su Ziwen’s question left everyone stunned. Wu Fan and Ji Keqing were astonished that the “eternal insulator” had finally awakened, while Mo De himself was startled—he’d thought the class president already knew about his breakthrough, so he could only laugh awkwardly. “Just broke through not long ago...”

“You actually made it? That’s amazing! Come on, show us—what’s your attribute?” Wu Fan was overjoyed. Having been friends for so long, he knew Mo De had long since given up hope. Now, his friend’s success filled him with pride.

“I think it’s metal.” Mo De extended a finger, on which rippled a faint gold sheen. He didn’t reveal that he’d already reached the Inspiration phase. After all, just awakening was enough to astound everyone—if they found out he’d broken through two levels and caught up, wouldn’t it cause an uproar?

“Keep at it, and once you hit Inspiration, you’ll know how special it is to possess abilities,” Wu Fan encouraged, clapping him on the shoulder as the group’s senior member. Ji Keqing tossed a water droplet in the air and added, “It’s true, even if our abilities are still weak at Inspiration and can’t be called spells, they’re really handy in daily life.” She let the droplet shatter and used it to wash her hands.

“It’s not all good,” Su Ziwen said quietly. Wu Fan and Ji Keqing were taken aback, and Mo De explained with a wry smile, “Spatial abilities are highly sensitive to environmental changes at first—rapid movement over long periods can make them severely motion sick.”

“Oh...” both replied in unison. Ji Keqing suddenly understood and asked, “Ziwen, did your motion sickness start after you awakened your ability?”

“I’ve always gotten carsick. It just got worse after awakening,” Su Ziwen replied calmly.

“It should get better once you reach the Manifestation phase and can control your ability freely,” Mo De reassured her.

“Mm.” Su Ziwen nodded, then frowned as if sensing something.

“The mist beasts are attacking more frequently outside the line.”