Chapter 161 – Key (4)

◎ Sister Song is right, everyone listen to Sister Song ◎

Dazzling red lights flickered in the air, and the buzzing alarms annoyed people, creating a chaotic and discordant atmosphere. In this incongruous environment, Song Ke held onto the hanging rod with one hand. Her round almond eyes, like those of a cat, looked down on everyone in the field from above.

After a moment of silence, sporadic curses erupted from all directions.

“Who the hell are you?”

“What’s it to you? Mind your own business!”

Song Ke casually glanced at those who were deliberately causing trouble; none of them were from the Northern Base.

She didn’t release her awakened energy, her face backlit, her figure slender. She looked like an ordinary passerby, completely lacking any intimidating presence.

However, strangely, from the moment she appeared, the awakeners from the Northern Base seemed to collectively become mute. The guy who had just been cursing the most was dumbfounded. He couldn’t believe his eyes, rubbed them in disbelief, and others pushed and shoved each other, some sneakily opened their terminals, searching for the cherished video of “You’re not an Alliance person if you don’t watch.”

The boy who was cursing stared wide-eyed, pupils trembling. Isn’t she their S7 level?

The reverence and awe of awakeners towards S-level individuals are innate, especially those with strong attack abilities. It is a submission based on absolute strength. The renowned and mysterious S7 level made her first public appearance, and it seemed like she was here to support them. The feeling of having someone from their own side take charge, if you haven’t experienced it firsthand, you wouldn’t understand. The guy’s throat felt sour, and hot tears welled up.

Several disrespectful awakeners noticed that the Northern Base, like a witch casting a spell, had suddenly fallen silent. They inwardly cursed, realizing that if this continued, they wouldn’t be able to start a fight, and their mission would fail.

Someone lurking in the shadows had their fingers quietly turned into claws, awakened energy gathering. They raised their hand to initiate an attack—

“What, cramping up?” Song Ke asked casually.

Clang!

The chilling blade of a willow leaf knife swept past in front of his nose. The man’s body hair stood on end, a gleam of light reflected in his eyes. He staggered backward, falling on his back.

However, the willow leaf knife wasn’t aimed at him. It took a turn just before reaching him, swift, accurate, and fierce, stabbing towards a masked man in the shadows. The man’s trembling fingers abruptly clenched into a fist, and if he had been a second slower, he would have been severed.

The willow leaf knife “thudded” into the ground, stopping right in front of Fujita Hiro’s head, as if offering incense.

The man’s spellcasting was interrupted, and he looked up coldly. Song Ke answered the previous question calmly.

“My team won the duel, willing to bet on losing. Let’s settle the points.”

She casually lifted the lamp stand, brought it to eye level, and slowly drew out a nearly four-meter-long Fangtian halberd. With a backward flip, the icy tip pointed downwards, and on both sides, the crescent moon-shaped peaks faintly emanated a powerful awakened energy.

“—Until the points are credited, no one is allowed to move.”

The entire arena fell into silence.

The suspended light screen high above continued tirelessly broadcasting: “Which is the strongest in the end-of-days monster hunting? The Song-style spiritual weapons are truly amazing!”

Now, even the slowest-witted person knew who she was.

Song Ke, the highest-ranked S7 level in the entire Alliance, a metal-type and strong attack-type awakener. Not long ago, she single-handedly defeated a Level 5 ferocious beast, the Armored Sea Turtle. She is also the current captain of V587. Most importantly, at this moment, she was affiliated with the Northern Base.

Su Cha quickly took Fujita Hiro’s terminal, walked to the referee platform, and refreshed it. No one dared to intervene at this moment. According to the terms of the contract, all of “Kirigakure’s” points were transferred to “V587.”

Clap, clap, the masked man clapped his hands with a smile, his gaze fixed on Song Ke. In a tone that was neither friendly nor hostile, he sent shivers down the spine, “Majestic. Now that the bet is settled, who will take responsibility for Fujita’s death?”

Song Ke looked at him with clear eyes, puzzled, “Who are you?”

The masked man’s mouth twitched, and a trace of displeasure emerged from his otherwise indifferent tone, “I’m called Qing.”

“—Qing, from District B14, Miao Ying, S4 level, curse-type awakener.”

In the audience, Lu Xiaoyu pulled up information on the delicate-looking man.

Lin Youyou slightly furrowed her brows, “He’s not from Tokushima, why is he standing up for Fujita?”

“Because Fujita Hiro is just a pawn.”

Tap, tap, calm footsteps approached from behind. Zhuang Qingyan inserted his hands into his pockets, a light-colored shirt tucked into khaki-colored trousers, sleeves rolled up to his forearms, and the deep peach blossom eyes slightly lifted behind silver-rimmed glasses.

“The real meaning of having pawns on the stage is not to win but to humiliate, until the people from the Northern Base can’t bear it anymore.”

Fujita Hiro deliberately provoked several times, aiming to enrage the awakeners in the audience, accumulating resentment to the breaking point. His death was unexpected, but it happened at the right time. The opponent had played along, finding the best trigger and successfully igniting the conflict between the two sides.

“But what’s the benefit of taking action against them?” Lin Youyou still couldn’t understand.

“Of course, there is,” Zhuang Qingyan nodded towards the stage, lifting his chin, “Do you think there are only people from Tokushima down there?”

Lu Xiaoyu timely zoomed in on the camera, scanning their faces one by one, and sighed with a flat tone, “Tokushima, Baishen, Miao Ying… at least seven or more individuals from other District B. It’s quite lively. Is today the team-building party?”

Zhuang Qingyan sat down leisurely, propping up one long leg, “The death of an A9 level resulted in a brawl among District B awakeners. If it’s still initiated by the traditionally neutral Northern Base, it’s not just a fight, but a diplomatic incident.”

His expression gradually cooled down. When did these people, or rather, the District B they represented, reach a consensus?

In the arena, Qing took a step back, half of his face hidden in the darkness. His lips moved, and immediately an indignant troublemaker rushed out:

“You killed Fujita Hiro! Dare to admit it, you cowards!”

“Cowardly turtles, a bunch of turtle bastards!”

Obscene language and curses filled the air, as if today would be meaningless for the Northern Base if there wasn’t a fight.

Most of the awakeners were not in a good state of mind. On the Northern Base side, some were stimulated, their eyes reddening as they took a step forward.

A Fangtian halberd descended from above, accurately and unmistakably inserted into the midst of the two groups, drawing a clear boundary.

Song Ke landed lightly, like a security guard maintaining order. She advised earnestly, “Don’t fight.”

“I say, do you guys have a problem? It’s normal for someone to die in a duel. This is the rule of the Silver Ring Arena. Why make a fuss?”

“Fujita didn’t bet his life! You can’t kill him!” No matter how much this side presented facts and reasoned, the other side remained adamant.

The cursing boy had trembling diamond lip piercings. He was about to charge forward recklessly when Song Ke gave him a light glance.

The cursing boy shivered, his pink hair standing on end. He immediately flattered, “No fighting… Sister Song is right, everyone listen to Sister Song.”

Song Ke looked across, tilted her head in apparent distress, seemingly pondering how to peacefully resolve the situation.

“Killing is wrong,” she sighed in a feigned manner.

“Yes,” Su Cha obediently lowered his head.

Song Ke patted his shoulder with emphasis, “Turn yourself in and go to jail.”

Let Ye Zimei fish him out later. Anyway, whether it was being in jail or escaping from it, V587 was highly skilled in both.

Su Cha: “…Okay.” The soon-to-be inmate nodded silently.

Not only the opposing side but even the people from the Northern Base were dumbfounded. What’s going on? Is this S7 level really going to uphold justice and send her own team member to jail?

“Is it okay now?” Song Ke looked towards the other side, her gaze piercing through the crowd, locking onto Qing at the back.

“No, we have to get justice for Fujita!”

“Is Little Idiot your father? So filial!” The cursing boy made a cheeky face towards the opposite side.

Seeing that the commotion was dying down, several awakeners, panting heavily, suddenly rushed forward with menacing faces.

The earth cracked open, and arm-sized spikes burst out, crossing the boundary set by Song Ke and expanding towards the other side.

Song Ke drew the Fangtian halberd and turned around, shouting, “Don’t move.”

The cursing boy retracted his outstretched foot with a “whoosh,” standing upright as if on punishment. He didn’t forget to supervise others, “Sister Song said it, no one is allowed to move!”

Song Ke moved forward, chaotic awakened abilities attacking her from all sides. Suddenly, she pivoted on her right foot, turning fiercely in a circle! The halberd’s tip swung, and the front-line melee attackers were sent flying.

Song Ke continued to charge forward, long-range attacks targeting her head. She dodged by tilting her head, her shoulder-length hair swaying in the wind. She avoided when she could, and when she couldn’t, she faced it head-on. Gripping the middle of the halberd, she slanted it upward! The crescent blade cut through the enemy’s collar, nailing over a dozen people in succession. She swung it around, knocking down a large group with a series of crashes.

Facing hundreds alone, she entered the enemy ranks like a breeze, and in less than a minute, chaos ensued. Yet, she remained as steady as a mountain.

Qing’s eyebrows and eyes turned cold. Just as he was about to add fuel to the fire, a cold mental force lashed out like a whip, delivering a harsh strike to his mind.

His consciousness suddenly became muddled. Curse-type abilities required a cooldown time, and this unexpected attack caught him off guard.

Qing raised his head abruptly, looking towards the spectator seats. V587, five people, sitting or standing, with calm expressions.

Three A-levels, two… ordinary people?

Qing’s gaze lingered on Zhuang Qingyan and Lu Xiaoyu. As an S4 level, he surprisingly couldn’t judge the depth of their awakened energies. But only fools would think they were ordinary people.

A ludicrous, unbelievable thought slowly rose in Qing’s mind: Could it be that the Northern Base still harbors unrevealed S-levels?

He stepped back slowly, lowered his gaze, and merged into the crowd without a word. Towards Song Ke, he silently conveyed, “Until we meet again.”

His elusive figure transformed into a moth and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Nearly a hundred awakeners wailed in pain, rolling on the ground. Song Ke poked one, kicked another, nodding with satisfaction:

“Not a single one died.”

“Awakener Department is performing official duties, please cooperate!” A stern voice echoed through the loudspeaker.

Zhao Yuqing and another S-level, leading dozens of uniformed personnel, arrived. Zhao Yuqing’s eyes were cold, and her water-type ability manifested, binding the necks and limbs of the fallen awakeners in water circles, preventing them from moving freely.

The Northern Base’s awakeners scattered in panic, attempting to escape.

“All relevant personnel, please voluntarily proceed to the Awakener Department for investigation!”

“Ah—!” The cursing boy wore a miserable expression, passing by Song Ke with a dejected look, “It’s over, it’s over. I’m going to drink tea again.”

The group of people reluctantly followed the officials, and the Silver Ring Arena was temporarily closed.

Zhao Yuqing walked over solemnly and stopped in front of Song Ke, “Captain Song, please come with me.”

Song Ke blinked.

Zhao Yuqing couldn’t hold back and smiled faintly, “I’m really unlucky, being drafted to handle this matter. I was even worried about fights on the way. Thanks for your help.”

Song Ke waved at her, “No problem.”

Zhao Yuqing spoke gently, “This matter needs to be thoroughly investigated. Please come and follow the procedure.”

Song Ke glanced at the exit, where it was packed with either escorted or voluntarily cooperating awakeners, making it impassable.

“We’ll go over by ourselves.”

“Alright.” Zhao Yuqing didn’t insist.

“No need for tea,” Song Ke thought for a moment and said. She had just consumed a lot of tea at Professor Ming’s place and couldn’t handle more.

Zhao Yuqing chuckled, finding her somewhat cute, “Not that kind of tea. You’ll know when you come.”

Song Ke returned to the spectator seats, receiving a kiss from Lin Youyou, a leg-hug from Xu Xing, a thumbs-up from Fang Zhixu, and… numerous orders from the top-notch salesperson Lu Xiaoyu.

Casually sitting down, she leaned back, and Zhuang Qingyan’s knee naturally caught her.

Song Ke happily counted the points. It was indeed worthy of being a top-ten team in Tokushima. After adding the points from “Kirigakure”, V587 soared to the 3rd place in the Northern Base and the 23rd place in the entire Alliance.

Song Ke was elated. In her excitement, she transferred another million to Su Cha.

Su Cha, shirtless, sat obediently in his original spot. When Fang Zhixu came over to treat his wounds, he remained silent for a while. Eventually, he hesitated, looking up at Lin Youyou like a puppy longing for praise.

Slap—!

Lin Youyou slapped Su Cha’s bald head without holding back at all, leaving him stunned as he silently licked his wounded spot.

Lin Youyou’s eyebrows furrowed in anger as she scolded, “Got arrogant, huh? Like to show off, right? Gambling with your life? I picked you up, and your life belongs to me. Who allowed you to squander it!”

Su Cha: “?” Why did she say something different to that person?

After counting the points, Song Ke waved grandly, “Let’s go, send Su Cha away, to jail.”

Su Cha: “…”

“Sister! I need to go to the bathroom. Wait for me!”

Xu Xing, legs crossed, twisted uncomfortably. He had been engrossed in watching the arena, drinking a lot of beverages, and now he couldn’t hold it in.

“Who will accompany you…” Song Ke pointed around and found that none of the men present seemed to have the time.

“No need for company!”

After shouting, Xu Xing rushed to the bathroom. He ran too fast, collided with a man at the entrance, and the man’s round belly bounced him away. He tumbled and rolled, and the man, absent-mindedly, lowered his head, muttering a vague “Sorry,” and hastily walked past him.

“…The rat is lost, the crocodile is not very happy, quickly grab another batch of cats to replenish the grain bin…”

Xu Xing sat dazed in his original spot, recalling the time before the apocalypse when Xu Weiguo used to boast while picking his teeth, “The most profitable business? It’s smuggling, just casually put in a few mice and cats, and you can make a fortune from those crocodiles.”

“Uncle, your terminal fell.” A voice of innocence sounded, and a boy timidly pulled at the man’s sleeve.

The man impatiently looked down, only to find his terminal perfectly on his wrist.

“Not mine, you’ve got the wrong person…”

“Uncle, this terminal has no password. There’s a lot of money inside, you’re too careless.”

The man abruptly stopped talking, snatched the terminal from Xu Xing’s hand, “Ah yes yes, it’s mine, thank you, little friend.”

“You’re welcome, uncle. It’s what I should do.”

Xu Xing smiled innocently, and with a small shake of his hand, a mini ladybug crawled into the man’s pocket.