Chapter 188.2 – We Are V587 (3)

◎ Song Keke, is that you? ◎

Song Ke raised her hand slightly, and the two groups of orioles immediately knelt on the ground, pleading, “Mercy, heroine, mercy! We didn’t intend to act!”

Song Ke, indifferent, wiped her face as hot sweat dripped into her eyes, causing her vision to blur. “Just leave.”

The crowd narrowly escaped punishment, collectively retreating. Seeing that Song Ke had no intention of killing them, someone nervously asked, “May we ask the heroine’s name? In the future, we’ll definitely go around when we see you.”

In Sin City, a reputation is the easiest thing to spread. They wanted to figure out whom they offended to avoid stepping into trouble in the future.

Song Ke pulled the unconscious Jorik from the pile of bodies, lifting him with one hand. Almost instinctively, she blurted out her habitual alias, “My name is Su Cha.”

As the words fell, everyone on the opposite side collectively fell into a state of stupor.

“Did I hear it correctly? She said her name is Su Cha…”

“Is it the Su Cha?”

“Who else could it be?! It’s her!!” A tremulous explosion echoed in everyone’s ears.

The ambushing individuals halted their steps, their faces showing astonishment. Upon closer inspection, a hint of worship could be seen in their eyes, as if gazing upon a god.

Song Ke was taken aback; it was the first time she encountered such a situation. “Do you know the name Su Cha?”

“We know, we know! Who’s the coolest in V587? It’s Su Cha, remember that!”

“You gained fame in the desert back then. This is your happy hometown! Who doesn’t know the legend of V587!”

Song Ke: “…”

“But I remember, Su Cha is a guy…” Amidst the noisy background, someone hesitated to speak.

They received a hard knock on the forehead, and a companion frantically gestured at him, “Shut up! Su Cha can be a brother or a sister, whatever she says she is!”

Song Ke had a splitting headache and dismissed the chattering group of orioles.

A silver-white starship flew across the sky, its tail adorned with a sparkling purple bauhinia wreath. Song Ke glanced at it and then turned away, heading towards the underground city in the opposite direction.

Thunk! Song Ke threw Jorik on the ground and knocked on the counter, “I’m here to pick up the goods.”

“Here, for use in District C and below only.” Cheng Yi tossed a terminal, poking her head out to look, “Isn’t this Jorik? Did he get heatstroke?”

“Yeah.” Song Ke carefully checked the functions, finding no issues, “I’ll be leaving soon. Can you keep him here?”

“Sure, of course.” Cheng Yi tossed aside half of her purple hair, smiling with satisfaction. Jorik, a wealthy man, would be another profitable deal.

Song Ke touched the silver ring absentmindedly, “I heard you’re the most informed trader in the Trading Street.”

Cheng Yi replied arrogantly, “Hmm.”

She placed the Level 4 crystal on the counter, “I want to buy some information from you.”

Cheng Yi’s eyes lit up, instantly pulling out a magnifying glass, “What kind of information is worth a Level 4 crystal? I’m quite curious.”

Song Ke said, “About V587, tell me everything you know.”

Cheng Yi’s smile faded at the mention of it, “Customer, I don’t do all kinds of deals. V587 is my regular customer, and I don’t sell their information. What if you turn around seeking revenge? They’ve made enemies, you know.”

Song Ke calmly stared at her, “I’m not seeking revenge. I just… forgot a lot of things, only remember that V587 is supposed to be my friend. I want to find them and clarify things. Please, any information is fine, even just a name.”

Cheng Yi scrutinized her back and forth, “Really not seeking revenge?”

Song Ke affirmed, “Yes.”

Cheng Yi, exposing her true nature, as if afraid Song Ke would regret it, quickly grabbed the crystal and took a bite, “Just a name. I won’t disclose details about others, but the captain of V587 is named Song Ke.”

—The captain of V587 is named Song Ke.

Song Ke slightly widened her eyes.

…

From Sin City to Northern Base, it almost spanned the entire New Asia Alliance.

It took Song Ke a whole half month to reach Qianzhan City, and then she was helpless. According to the rules, the first entry into the Northern Base required approval from the Immigration Center. But the crowd here was beyond imagination. Ordinary awakeners had to wait in line for half a year, and there was almost no place to step inside. For those with slightly weaker lung capacity, they could start gasping for breath at any moment.

Her ID was fake, as Cheng Yi mentioned; it could only be used in District C. Once she reached District B, it wouldn’t work. Since the official method was not feasible, what about unconventional methods?

Song Ke approached a loud hawker, lowering her voice as if making a secret deal:

“What business are you in?”

“How much does it cost for sm*ggling one person?”

The hawker was shocked and turned pale, “Don’t set me up, are you a decoy? Get away, get away! No amount of money is acceptable. Don’t you know how strict they are about sm*ggling now? I don’t want to end up in the Awakener Department’s big prison!”

The self-righteous hawker didn’t control his volume well and forgot that he was still wearing an amplifying terminal on his collar. The roaring sound spread layer by layer, and everyone within a few miles turned their heads, staring at Song Ke with looks as if she were a fool, pointing and whispering.

Song Ke covered her face and fled in embarrassment.

Half an hour later, she crouched in the corner of the wall, hesitantly glancing at the transparent barrier within arm’s reach. This was the final stop for the city bus. As long as someone got off casually, she could use that method to stealthily infiltrate without anyone knowing. It shouldn’t…be discovered.

Song Ke took a deep breath, another deep breath, finally making up her mind and hiding in the shadows.

The upcoming genetic changes were truly pushing the limits, requiring significant psychological preparation that she had been working on for a long time.

Boom!

An awakener moved faster than her, hitting the barrier above.

“Bro, isn’t this too risky?” a furtive voice came from the other end, sounding like three or four people.

“What’s there to be afraid of? Tokushima’s applications to join the Bauhinia Alliance were rejected several times; it must be the Northern Base playing tricks. I’m just giving them some trouble!”

“Don’t stop, whatever top-notch defense they have, we’re taking it down today!”

A blaring alarm sounded, triggering the defensive mechanism of the attacked barrier.

Song Ke watched helplessly as holographic signs displayed text:

“Due to route malfunction, today’s bus service is canceled.”

Suppressing her anger, she walked up to the group of people and asked expressionlessly, “What are you guys doing?”

…

“Crap, there’s trouble going on!”

“There is a situation in Channel 201!”

In the City Defense Command Center, monitors locked onto the terrorists causing damage, and an employee connected to the internal channel, “Mr. Zhuang, someone is intentionally damaging the city defense system, the target has been located… huh? The target has been dealt with.”

A blurry figure with a hood approached, the scene flashed, and several terrorists’ heads burst open. Two seconds later, a spray of bright red blood arced through the air. Death came too quickly; no one could see what had happened.

Zhuang Qingyan glanced at the floating screen, his eyelashes lowered. “Send a patrol team over.”

He stood up to leave, but when he reached the door, his footsteps suddenly halted. Like a gust of wind, he rushed back and trembling fingertips pressed the pause button. The mouths of those people showed clear signs of knife wounds.

“The slow-motion replay,” Zhuang Qingyan spoke urgently, his voice revealing a sense of urgency.

The surveillance looped back to the recent crime scene, even at a slowed speed, there was still no clue to be found.

“Slow it down further.”

“…slower.”

Until the frame froze, and the crowd struggled to see, just before the terrorists’ deaths, faint golden lights appeared around them. These lights rapidly converged, forming a cold and brilliant blade shape. This was… a transformed awakened energy?

“Mr. Zhuang, should we keep slowing?”

“…”

Zhuang Qingyan remained silent, expressionless for a long time, then suddenly shook his head with a helpless smile.

This was the first time the City Defense Department personnel had seen Zhuang Qingyan smile. In an instant, it was like ice melting, spring winds and rain, intoxicating and unforgettable.

…

The bus was gone, and Song Ke turned around in frustration. Suddenly, her back tensed.

The sky tore open with a pitch-black crack, an invisible and majestic force descending from above—an S-level spatial ability! Following that, another S-level ability, “Draw the Ground as a Prison,” isolated the air around Song Ke, trapping her in a confined space.

Song Ke frowned at her forehead. Was this coming after her because she had just killed someone?

Were they going to fight at the entrance of the Northern Base? That wouldn’t be good; she still wanted to get inside… Wait, there might be an opportunity!

With little time to think, Song Ke had no choice. She gritted her teeth, transformed into the pre-planned genetic form, and disappeared on the spot.

A group of awakeners appeared out of thin air. The crowd split on both sides as Zhuang Qingyan, leaning on a cane, strolled forward. Despite his disabled right leg, he was broad-shouldered and tall, handsome and elegant—a flawless young nobleman.

Facing the empty passage, Zhuang Qingyan’s emotions were complex, ultimately turning into a gentle sigh.

Under the puzzled gaze of everyone, he threw away the cane, knelt on one knee, and lowered his head to gaze at the crawling flea on the ground.

“Song Keke, is that you?”

The tiny flea paused for a moment, its tail wagging vigorously.

The awakeners behind Zhuang Qingyan were silent, their expressions collapsing. They watched as the successor of the Northern Base, in a hurry, mobilized S-level awakeners just to exchange feelings with a suspicious-looking flea?

However, Zhuang Qingyan seemed oblivious. He slowly reached out, the teardrop mole at the corner of his eye shining with brilliance.

“…Let’s go home.”

Whoosh—the flea disappeared.

Zhuang Qingyan’s pupils contracted, and regardless of the dust, he moved forward. “Song Ke!!”

The next moment, his words abruptly stopped, and his scalp tingled slightly.