Chapter Ninety-Seven: The Knife That Cuckolded Captain Zhang

Boom, boom, boom!

The helicopter rotors spun at full speed, their dull roar tearing through the stillness of the night.

As the black curtain of light that had shrouded the entire hospital vanished, the barrier that had kept the outside army at bay was broken at last.

Military helicopters, loaded with armed men and sweeping searchlights, bore down on the hospital rooftop.

Before long, the beams locked onto the figures still alive there.

Du Fang’s black overcoat whipped violently in the gale kicked up by the helicopters. The blinding searchlight fell over him, turning the world before his eyes white.

By reflex, he had almost raised his hands to cover his head, turn away, and crouch down.

But the moment his hand lifted, he remembered: he was no longer some suspect. He was a noble Dreamwalker now.

He had nothing to feel guilty about.

So instead, he used the raised hand to shade his eyes.

On the helicopters above, black gun barrels were all aimed at the hospital roof.

Officers were already speaking to one another through their radios.

Zhang Changlin climbed out from the shattered wall. His face was bruised and swollen as he gave Du Fang a resentful look.

“Friendly forces. Lower your weapons.”

Casually, Zhang Changlin fished a cigarette from his pack, clamped it between his lips, lit it, and said slowly, “Report, report!”

“There are still two survivors on the hospital rooftop. One is the captain of the Wildfire Squad, Zhang Changlin.”

“And the other is a member of the Wildfire Squad, our province’s champion in this Rookie Dreamwalker Invitational, Du Fang.”

“In addition, there are two suspected criminals. Arrest them immediately!”

The armed personnel on the helicopter shouted the message down.

Then a rope ladder dropped, and one after another, heavily equipped officers gripping machine guns descended and sprinted toward the two monsters that had been reduced to sludge.

Every barrel in sight was trained on them.

Yet at this moment, the two city-annihilating beings did not move at all. Their silicone masks seemed fused into their flesh, the sight grotesquely mangled and miserable.

Their life force had already vanished. They were dead beyond all doubt.

Du Fang turned to look at Luo Luo, who was still chewing away beside him, and fondly pinched her nose.

The little pig, Qi Qi, tucked under Luo Luo’s arm, was grinning from ear to ear as well, delighted beyond measure.

One person and one pig looked like two little brats who had just stolen a bite of chocolate cake, cake cream still stuck at the corners of their mouths, caught red-handed.

Du Fang looked at them helplessly, but in the end said nothing reproachful.

Two dream fiends...

Well, if they ate them, they ate them.

It was hardly a big deal.

The ox-headed and horse-faced pair had ultimately fallen victim to their fate.

As city-annihilating dream fiends, they had indeed been as tempting to Luo Luo and little pig Qi Qi as a chocolate cake.

Devoured... unsurprising.

Those two ghost catchers from the Yellow Springs had still failed to walk out of Jinling City alive.

Footsteps rang out.

Several figures rushed in.

Lan Xiang was wearing a patient gown and had brought Sun Zhe with him. The two were panting hard, their eyes still full of lingering fear.

Du Fang saw them and fell silent.

With a cigarette hanging from his mouth, Zhang Changlin also recognized Lan Xiang and Sun Zhe. Both were members of the Silver Wolf Squad.

Sun Zhe’s eyes filled with fear as he spotted Sun Yaohai’s body being carried away by the officers on a stretcher.

“Your father was a hero.”

Zhang Changlin walked over to Sun Zhe, sighed, and patted his shoulder before heading down the hospital stairs.

Lan Xiang’s expression was equally complicated, and he too looked stunned.

Silver Wolf’s captain, Sun Yaohai... was dead.

“He single-handedly held off the Divine Core Organization member who had been laying the groundwork for the dream disaster, and he killed him,” Du Fang said slowly.

Only then did Lan Xiang turn and see Du Fang.

At the sight of that flawless face so close before him, Lan Xiang nearly wet himself.

That face had left him with far too much trauma.

Du Fang, however, did not bear him much hostility.

After what had happened to Sun Yaohai, Du Fang truly understood the meaning of being a Dreamwalker. Besides, Lan Xiang had been Sun Yaohai’s man; out of regard for the master, Du Fang would not harbor any ill will toward the disciple.

Du Fang patted Lan Xiang’s shoulder and sighed softly. “My condolences.”

Lan Xiang felt his legs go weak, but the fear in his heart had faded a great deal.

He and Sun Zhe looked at Sun Yaohai’s body, now covered by a white cloth, and felt a dull tightness in their chests.

Lan Xiang had always been somewhat proud and self-assured. After all, he was a genius rookie Dreamwalker signed by Sun Yaohai for a fifty million signing bonus.

He had absolute confidence in his own ability and talent.

Under that confidence, he had even begun to lose sight of himself.

Then, during this Rookie Dreamwalker Invitational, after Du Fang crushed him, Sun Yaohai comforted him.

He had not expelled him from the Silver Wolf Squad. And when the terrifying dream disaster came, Sun Yaohai taught him another lesson through action, showing him what a true Dreamwalker was.

At that moment, Lan Xiang felt as though he had grown a great deal.

Du Fang also descended from the rooftop, carrying Captain Zhang’s broken blade.

At the elevator entrance, Zhang Changlin stood with his cigarette, his expression full of complexity as he looked at Du Fang.

Du Fang flashed him a bright smile.

“Captain Zhang...”

Zhang Changlin turned his head and glanced at the empty spot where Du Fang had been holding someone’s hand, then silently stubbed out his cigarette.

“Xiao Du, this secret of yours is one I’ve only just discovered. I never expected it to be this big.”

“But now that I know, do you need me to keep it secret? Or do you intend to make it public?”

He asked seriously.

He had to bring this up.

Because after tonight, the battle on the hospital rooftop was destined to become like a nuclear bomb that had just struck the ground, sending shock waves across the entire country.

After all, three city-annihilating powerhouses had died here tonight.

What kind of concept was a city-annihilating powerhouse? They were the apex combat force of this world.

For a city of several million people like Jinling, there was only one city-crossing rank Dreamwalker keeping watch.

And yet tonight, three of them had died all at once.

This news could not be hidden.

At the very least, the upper ranks of the Dreamwalker Association would certainly notice something.

And Jinling City was destined to become the center of the nation’s attention, the place all Dreamwalkers would watch.

“Can it be concealed?” Du Fang had not expected Captain Zhang to ask such a solemn question, and he asked in return.

Zhang Changlin frowned and thought for three seconds, then shook his head.

“It can be concealed, but not completely.”

He looked at Du Fang. “Because tonight on the hospital rooftop, there were only the three of us—me, you, and Sun Yaohai. Although Sun Yaohai died early in the fight, we can still attribute one city-annihilating kill to him.”

“As for me... I can claim one head as well, but no more, because they all know my level. I can deal with one city-annihilating rank being, but if I say I killed two, that would be pure nonsense.”

“So no matter what, you’ll have to carry the credit for one city-annihilating kill.”

That was what Zhang Changlin meant by being able to conceal it, but not completely.

In other words, the three of them would split the credit for the three city-annihilating powerhouses equally.

After thinking it over for a moment, Du Fang said, “Then let’s count it that way.”

If it were exposed completely, Du Fang was not particularly willing either. That would be tantamount to placing himself wholly beneath the spotlight, and he had no idea how many unknown dangers that would bring.

After all, the proud version of himself on the lake had once said...

The more of his strength he revealed, the more those things would come for him, and the peaceful, beautiful days would gradually drift away.

So Du Fang felt he should remain as low-key as possible.

He also believed Captain Zhang would help him keep the secret.

Captain Zhang glanced at him. “Relax. Many outstanding Dreamwalkers have secrets of their own. Even if the Dreamwalker Association knows, they won’t interfere too much. Besides... there have been precedents for a Fallen God lying within the body.”

“Captain Zhang, among rookie Dreamwalkers like me, are there really people who can kill a city-annihilating rank being?” Du Fang asked.

Zhang Changlin smiled, his gaze profound. “Of course there are. But... not many.”

“Then that’s easy enough.”

Du Fang nodded, a gentle smile appearing on his face.

Zhang Changlin immediately understood what he meant.

Du Fang clearly intended to keep it hidden. As the saying goes, the tallest tree in the forest is the first to be blown down. The reason Du Fang had been able to display such overwhelming might tonight was because of the Fallen God within him, not his true strength.

If this were made public, it would bring him nothing but trouble.

The Dreamwalker Association might value him, but what they would truly value would be the Fallen God inside him, not Du Fang himself.

“All right. Then that will be the story we tell the outside world,” Zhang Changlin said, exhaling slowly, the pressure on him palpable.

After all, as the captain of the Wildfire Squad, he would bear responsibility for concealing the truth.

Though most Dreamwalkers with a Fallen God within them can borrow that power to grow stronger, and loss of control is rare, the risk still exists.

Still, Zhang Changlin thought of how he had already helped Su Jiu Ming conceal her secret. Adding one more Du Fang did not seem so impossible.

“The power of a Fallen God is indeed formidable,” he said earnestly. “But you must treat it as a weapon to be wielded and controlled, not as something that controls you, or something you lose yourself within.”

Du Fang nodded.

Ding.

The elevator arrival chime sounded.

The doors opened.

Zhang Changlin did not move.

Du Fang looked at him in confusion, as if wondering why Captain Zhang still had not gotten in and what he was waiting for.

The atmosphere seemed to grow just a little awkward.

Zhang Changlin’s gaze gradually turned resentful.

He stared at Du Fang, pursed his lips, and said in a tentative, almost pitiable tone, “Xiao Du... my blade has been away from me for several hours now. I kind of miss it.”

“Could you give it back to me?”

Du Fang froze.

Then he glanced at the broken blade still in his hand, and his youthful face flushed slightly.

“Oh dear, that blade... look at my memory.”

“Captain Zhang, this blade really is something.”

He gave an embarrassed laugh and hurriedly tossed the broken blade toward Zhang Changlin.

Zhang Changlin laughed merrily. Of course it was something... it was a Sequence Taboo Artifact!

Still, the fact that Du Fang was willing to return it let Zhang Changlin finally breathe a sigh of relief.

He had been afraid Du Fang would decide the blade handled too well and simply refuse to give it back.

If that happened, Zhang Changlin would truly have no recourse.

After all, he could not beat him in a real fight...

What could Old Zhang possibly do?

The broken blade, hurled toward Zhang Changlin, traced an arc through the air as it flew toward him.

Zhang Changlin reached out to catch it.

Then suddenly,

a black shadow shot out from within the blade.

The shadow glanced at Zhang Changlin, then gave a sharp flick of its head.

The broken blade, still following its arc through the air, abruptly reversed course and flew back into Du Fang’s hand.

Du Fang gripped the blade and looked blankly over.

Zhang Changlin’s hand remained frozen in midair, and a faint green light seemed to seep from the top of his head.

The atmosphere...

Somehow became even more awkward.

P.S. Requesting monthly votes and recommendation votes.