Shackles of Humanity

Luo Kai gripped her calf. With a sharp slice and a quick dig of his knife, he extracted an oval-shaped bullet. He then smeared charcoal ash onto the wound and wrapped it tightly with a strip of cloth.

The young soldier’s whole body trembled in pain, but she didn’t make a sound. This lessened Luo Kai’s animosity toward her considerably. He went to a nearby stream to wash his hands, then said, ”Alright, I’m leaving. Find a place to recover on your own.”

Seeing that Luo Kai was about to leave, Yue Han grew anxious. She opened her mouth to speak, but her reserved nature held her back. Besides, she had wrongly accused him.

As Luo Kai’s figure gradually faded from sight, the rims of her eyes turned red. ’That guy really is a bastard! He actually abandoned me!’ The wilderness was silent and deserted, so she let herself cry out loud. Sobbing, she struggled to her feet and looked around blankly, not knowing which way to go.

Just when she felt completely helpless and alone, a familiar voice spoke beside her ear. ”Alright, stop crying. Sigh... I’m just too soft-hearted. I found a cave for you to recover in. Come on, I’ll carry you on my back.”

Luo Kai had appeared behind her without her noticing, a slight smile on his face.

”Leave me alone!” Yue Han hurriedly wiped the tears from her cheeks, growing even more infuriated. ’He obviously never left. He was just waiting to see me make a fool of myself.’

”You think I actually want to bother with you? Your pride isn’t more important than your life!”

Luo Kai stepped forward and, giving her no chance to refuse, swept her up into his arms and headed toward the cave.

”Bastard, let go!” Yue Han struggled violently again, but the arms around her were like steel shackles. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t budge them in the slightest. Eventually, she stopped, panting for breath. Only then did she realize how comfortable his hold was—there was no jarring at all. Moreover, his body was like a great furnace, radiating a deep warmth. The fatigue that had plagued her for days began to fade, and she started to feel drowsy.

After a moment, Yue Han couldn’t resist sneaking a glance at Luo Kai. His face was streaked with blood and grime, his complexion ashen. He was unshaven and his hair was a mess—the very picture of a slob. And yet, his eyes were incredibly bright. A vortex of darkness swirled around a single point of starlight, beautiful enough to get lost in. ’How could anyone have such beautiful eyes?’

...

Upon reaching a small cave, Luo Kai settled Yue Han inside and went out to hunt. The mountain forest was teeming with animals. He managed to hunt an old deer, which he carried back to the cave entrance. There, he skinned and butchered it, then immediately started a fire to roast the meat without washing it much.

He brought a roasted deer leg in to Yue Han. For some reason, the young soldier had suddenly become docile. When she saw Luo Kai come in, she even blushed a little. She took the deer leg and began eating it in small bites.

”This cave should be safe enough. Once you can walk, head back on your own. I have other business to attend to. I’m really leaving this time.”

Yue Han put down her food and fell silent for a moment before saying, ”Thank you. What’s... what’s your name?”

”I’m Luo Kai. And you’re Yue Han, right? That’s a nice name. Hmm... those Body Techniques you used earlier were also quite unique.”

Luo Kai suddenly remembered something else. He stopped and asked, ”Have you been at Ironwood Castle all this time? How did it fall so quickly?”

Yue Han said bitterly, ”Someone tampered with the armory. All the shells were duds. Ironwood Castle’s defensive cannons were useless, just for show. All the fuel in the depots was gone, too. It must have been the work of the Nanzhao Kingdom’s Secret Service Bureau!”

Luo Kai frowned. ’So that’s why Ironwood Castle fell so easily. There was a problem with the ammunition.’ But something like that wouldn’t be easy to pull off. It would require an inside man. ’There must be a spy in the Xingma Kingdom’s high command. I already gave the note I found to Old Fu. Did he fail to report it? Or was it already too late?’

After thinking for a moment, he continued, ”Are you connected to the Military Punishment Department? Can you decipher their intelligence reports?”

Yue Han hesitated for a moment before nodding. ”I know people in the Military Punishment Department, and I’m familiar with some of their ciphers. But if it’s too complex, I’d need to consult my reference materials.”

”I have a report here. Help me see if there’s a hidden meaning.”

Luo Kai found a stick and began writing in the dirt. He had long possessed a photographic memory and could recall the contents of the note perfectly.

Upon seeing a familiar name, Yue Han cried out in disbelief, ”Minister Zhang? That’s impossible! He... he’s served the Great Lord for decades. He’s his most trusted man!”

”I was told that the Military Punishment Department’s reports have hidden meanings beyond what’s on the surface. Look again!”

Leaning on the cave wall, Yue Han stood up. She took the stick from Luo Kai and began to break down the message in the dirt. She sorted the strokes of each character and the various punctuation marks according to a specific set of rules, then reassembled them. About ten minutes later, she had combined the strokes to form two words: ”Chang Yuan!”

It wasn’t just Luo Kai who was shocked; Yue Han sank to the ground, her face a mask of disbelief. She then asked urgently, ”Where did you get this report? General Chang Yuan commands the one-hundred-thousand-strong Tiger Soul Army! He could never be a spy!”

The Tiger Soul Army was the Xingma Kingdom’s most elite fighting force. If Chang Yuan was a spy, the war was as good as lost. Luo Kai was also deeply skeptical, but he said, ”I happened to save a man. He gave it to me just before he died.”

”This won’t do. True or not, we have to report this to the Great Lord at once! You... why didn’t you report such critical intelligence?”

Luo Kai didn’t answer. He stood, walked to the mouth of the cave, and gazed up at the dark clouds of war smoke staining the sky. The events of the past few days flashed through his mind. As incredible as it seemed, the intelligence was very likely true.

’A man of Chang Yuan’s stature wouldn’t be a common spy. He’s probably conspiring with the Nanzhao Kingdom for something else. That would explain why the elite Tiger Soul Army has suffered no major losses to date.’

’For those who hold ultimate power, war is merely a tool to achieve personal ends. Now, of the Xingma Kingdom’s military bases on Tieheng Mountain, only Ping Mountain Port is left. Even with warship support, it can’t withstand a siege by the Nanzhao Kingdom’s army. The inevitable outcome of this defeat will be Duke Yiven stepping down as Great Lord, plunging the country back into internal conflict.’

’Black Stone Heavy Industry is deeply connected to this war. Why didn’t Old Fu report the intel? There’s only one possibility: Black Stone Heavy Industry is also involved in the conspiracy.’

Luo Kai had absolutely no desire to get involved in such treacherous power struggles, but things rarely go as planned. In truth, from the moment he took that note, the course was set. And the betrayal of someone he trusted was always the most difficult thing to accept.

A small dot appeared in the sky—a Winged Person, wings outstretched, circling closer. Upon spotting Luo Kai, it immediately blew a whistle, the piercing sound carrying far and wide.

The Winged People all wore similar attire, making it difficult to tell friend from foe. Luo Kai looked back and said, ”Someone’s found us. They’re probably hostile. We can’t stay here.”

Yue Han hobbled out anxiously, her leg causing her to limp. She looked up at the circling Winged Person and cried out in alarm, ”It’s the people who were hunting me! We have to go, now!”

Luo Kai’s expression turned grim. He drew the large-caliber handgun from his waist, aimed at the Winged Person in the sky, and fired. The weapon was truly something else. The recoil was immense, and the BOOM of the gunshot was deafening as a bullet the size of a pinky finger shot forth.

Unfortunately, the Winged Person was extremely vigilant. It immediately veered to the side to dodge, then rapidly gained altitude. It blew its whistle again, the shrill sound echoing throughout the forest.

No matter how capable he was, Luo Kai had no way of dealing with a flying opponent. He could only stoop down, swing Yue Han onto his back, and break into a desperate sprint.

No matter how fast one runs on the ground, they can never match one who flies. The Winged Person followed close behind, blowing its whistle intermittently.

Soon, the forest erupted with activity as large numbers of well-trained, black-clad men rushed toward their position. At the same time, a twin-winged fighter jet appeared, diving down to strafe them with gunfire.

The speed of Luo Kai’s Qi and Blood Circulation spiked. He desperately tried to track the trajectory of each bullet. The jet was armed with an autocannon, far more powerful than any normal firearm. A century-old tree beside him was blasted into splinters, and the ground was riddled with craters from the incoming fire.