Chapter 12-2
In contrast to the new girl and Imhotep, Heng and Zheng had known Xuan long enough and could tell every movement Xuan had. The three of them went through many trials of death after all. They could see the fervor burning through Xuan’s eyes clearly, the same fire he typically expressed upon encountering the unknowns. However, the hint of brutality was unusual and was never shown by Xuan before.
Zheng and Heng looked to each other with feelings of unease. Xuan had done a good job hiding his condition but the heart’s devil was showing from him. It felt as though he could no longer suppress it. The two people could only hope the heart’s devil wouldn’t erupt at the most crucial moments. Otherwise, this movie would be the end of the team.
The spaceship gradually moved away from Earth’s atmosphere. Far away in the distance was a giant black sphere floating in space. It appeared so big despite still being so far away. Specks sparkled on its black surface, adding a mysterious veil to the sphere.
“The battle is about to begin. I have two warnings to give you. Our goal isn’t to crash the mothership but to obtain the two technologies HongLu mentioned. Secondly, we have to find the rest of team Pacific that was left behind. These two tasks must be completed. Everything else…” Zheng paused for a second before continuing. “Is to survive. Survive with everyone!”
The spaceship was very near the mothership. The voices inside died down as everyone fixed their attentions to the giant sphere. The mothership was like a whale when seemed in close range. The spaceship was smaller than a hair on this whale. The difference in size was enormous and the people inside the mothership were stunned. The spaceship flew along the rim of the mothership until it reached an opening. Though if one were to look at this opening from the distance, they could barely find a slit. The mothership was simply gigantic, like a small planet.
(I can’t imagine destroying such a giant mothership with a single nuclear bomb. This must have been one of the points altered by God. If the nuclear bomb doesn’t blast its energy reserve, the most that it could destroy is a tenth of the mothership, or maybe less. However, if you could get close enough to the energy reserve to destroy it, then you wouldn’t need a nuclear bomb. It wouldn’t change anything whether we brought a nuclear bomb or not. Now, the question is how are going to destroy it?)
Zheng felt unease as he witnessed the mothership’s size. He was confident with his strength but it required more than just confidence to destroy an object at this scale with a human body. He needed more than just confidence. He needed power, something greater than Explosion and Destruction, such as the Magic Cannon.
“Xuan, give me the Magic Cannon. Once we completed our tasks, I will use the Magic Cannon to destroy the mothership if we find the opportunity… Xuan?”
Zheng’s eyes did not move away from the window as the spaceship entered the opening. The opening slowly closed behind them like the walls that came down in a quarantine room. The spaceship flew pass a layer of white mist and finally reached the inside of the mothership. Zheng spoke as the spaceship was going through the mist but there was no response. He turned around to find Xuan, yet only four people remained inside the spaceship by this time. No one knew when did Xuan disappear.
“You kidding me? It’s the space outside the spaceship. There’s no oxygen, no pressure, and extremely low temperature. How did he disappear? He’s not Doraemon.”
Zheng’s mind went blank. He started to look for Xuan inside the spaceship but he realized there was nowhere to hide a person here. He could take in the whole place with a glance. If Xuan didn’t become invisible, he was no longer in the spaceship.
The other three people were also shocked. XueLin said. “I… I don’t know when did he disappear. I was looking out the window and didn’t pay attention to him.”
Imhotep said. “Don’t ask me. That guy has no presence since entering this world. He felt like the air even when he was standing next to you.”
Zheng then turned to Heng who shook his head. It was too abnormal that no one around a person noticed when that person disappeared no matter how low of a presence that person had.
Zheng took a deep breath. Without another word, he unlocked into the third stage in a few seconds. He emulated HongLu and began to think.
(Calm down. A person can’t simply disappear. He must have use an illusion or special technique. How he disappeared isn’t important right now since it has happened. The important question is why?)
Zheng knew Xuan well enough. That man wouldn’t waste his time and energy on useless actions. He wouldn’t do anything for fun or act on feelings, not that he had feelings to begin with. Completing missions and accomplishing conditions were what Xuan considered. This disappearance… wouldn’t be without a reason.
(I have been feeling strange regarding him and HongLu. The two of them set up a scheme cooperatively. This scheme seems equally strange to me. First of all, a unique character is put into my group along with the strong members. Even if she’s the Guide, it doesn’t explain their actions. Secondly, the other group is probably waiting for team Pacific to come to them… Where does HongLu get the confidence to rival team pacific without me? Or have I been thinking down the wrong path?)
Zheng was having a headache from the thinking. He couldn’t figure out a thing in this scheme. He couldn’t find an explanation for XueLin joining the group, nor splitting the team up into two groups, nor Xuan’s disappearance. These three events confused him. Yet, he felt a link between these events. That link might be the core of the scheme set up by Xuan and HongLu. If only he could find this link…
“Damn it! It’s impossible! The Guide, even if she is the guide… what does it have to do with Xuan’s disappearance and HongLu’s actions? Wait. If she is the Guide and Xuan is in the heart’s devil state… connecting them to HongLu, the mothership, and how to destroy the mothership…”
Zheng suddenly had the urge to roar. He was getting frustrated and cried out his frustration as he couldn’t figure out the scheme. However, a piece of memory suddenly surfaced in his mind and an idea emerged.
The memory was about the previous leader of team China, Zhang Jie. He was a tragic character that existed as half human and half the Guide. Following through this memory, Zheng found the link between the three events and what Xuan was planning to do…
“It can’t be. That’s insane and a huge gamble. But… that looks like his way of doing things, to dive deep into the abyss to seek that chance to survive.”
Zheng chuckled bitterly as he recalled the quote “Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.” And he had come to an improbable conclusion which could very likely be the truth.
Xuan was planning to blast team China and team Pacific altogether with the Magic Cannon. HongLu was his accomplice.
“Fine. I am not going to continue worrying about it since it’s a gamble. Heng and Imhotep, protect XueLin. If she’s the Guide, her death might declare our failure in this trial. We can’t let her die no matter what happens. Let’s run for our lives! Run as soon as the spaceship lands. I will try my best to create as big a ruckus as I can and you find a hidden place to run to.”
Zheng suddenly gazed at Heng and said in a serious tone. “You… won’t run away, right? You might become the leader of team China.”
He brought out Tiger’s Soul and he turned around. The sword sliced through the spaceship as soon as it landed. Zheng leaped out through the opening the next second.