Light Fortress
Chapter 137 - 125: The Long Night (Part 3)

Chapter 137: Chapter 125: The Long Night (Part 3)

The river surged.

The tide ebbed and flowed.

Song Ci’s expression remained calm, like a wolf among sheep, easily suppressing the heroes of Sincere Heart South Hall with his own strength. Every punch he threw shattered a burst of mist on the river surface, sending out thousands of strands of white vapor waves.

One after another, figures were thrown out like rag dolls.

At the beginning of the declaration of war beneath the Huazhi Building, many thought that tonight Crow would fall at the hands of Chen San’s three sworn sons.

No one expected.

The battle on the river bank tonight was simply a slaughter.

There was not the slightest suspense in the fight, it was a complete one-sided crush.

The Heavenly Curtain enveloped this cold river, but even with the augmentation of this grand domain, no one could match Song Ci, not even Wu Yong, who took pride in his Sword Drawing Skill, had the chance to unsheathe his sword... The battle on the great river continued, by now, Qi Lv had anticipated the final outcome.

He still had a Purple Silver Bullet in his hand.

This bullet could not change the outcome, couldn’t alter the situation of battle... couldn’t change anything.

Because even with "Eagle Eye" pushed to its maximum, he still couldn’t capture Crow’s figure; he was always a beat too slow, the man was fast like a bolt of lightning.

"I’m going to remove the ’Heavenly Curtain’."

A very light voice reached Qi Lv’s ears.

Mist swirled over the river, countless droplets fell, and everyone looking toward the river in the night could see no abnormalities, because the ability of "Heavenly Curtain" was to obstruct vision, altering some of the material properties within the domain.

The master controlling this grand domain was actually present on the battlefield from the beginning to the end, standing at the farthest end of the Heavenly Curtain from Song Ci. The mist enshrouded him, light refracted, and he appeared nearly transparent.

"Is there still a chance?" The eldest brother was still calm as he seriously asked, "If the Purple Silver Bullet can hit, perhaps there will be a turn of events."

"...It’s impossible."

Qi Lv’s face was somewhat downcast, the ink blackness in his pupils faded away, his Eagle Eye deactivated.

Activating Eagle Eye to track Crow’s movements was a complete waste of spiritual power.

Reluctant as he was to admit it, the man clutching the sniper rifle had to acknowledge that tonight’s operation was a total failure.

"Give me ten more bullets, and I still couldn’t hit him, because the gap is too wide..." Qi Lv said with self-mocking laughter, "Crow is nothing like the rumors suggest, the information from Huazhi said he was a brute propped up by his lady, but in reality, he’s both brave and tactical, I can’t think of any way to restrain him."

"Unless..."

He paused mid-sentence.

The man standing farthest from the water at the river’s edge finished the sentence for him.

"Unless Chen Mei is willing to make a move."

Qi Lv fell silent, slowly nodding his head.

Yes.

That was the only method he could think of, only a monster could suppress another monster, he was self-aware enough to know that someone of his level, a Transcendent amongst the top tiers, still counted merely as an ordinary person with a mortal body.

"Chen Mei won’t care about the affairs of Sincere Heart Association... he only does what he likes."

The eldest brother’s transparent figure began to walk slowly across the river, stretching out both hands, one for each, he lifted the unconscious Wu Yong and the fourth brother onto his shoulders.

Looking up again, the blue arc of the Heavenly Curtain gradually dimmed.

The eldest brother’s voice carried softly, "Stop wasting bullets, prepare to retreat."

This voice also reached the ears of every Transcendent who had launched an attack on Song Ci.

In the tumultuous waves of the river, Song Ci held one hand behind his back and only revealed a single fist, stained with mottled blood, none of which was his own. The crowd kept their distance from him, and no one dared to enter his five-meter range.

This layer of Heavenly Curtain served as protection and also a cage.

The few minutes of combat with Song Ci felt as long as a century.

As the call to retreat sounded, everyone breathed a sigh of relief; if possible, they would never want to confront Crow again, not even for a single second.

However, these subtle changes in the expressions of the Transcendents did not escape Song Ci’s perception.

"Thinking of leaving?"

Crow chuckled softly, slowly turning his head to gaze into a foggy direction amidst the river, "Have you... misunderstood something?"

That glance made the hair on the back of the eldest brother, standing at the end of the Heavenly Curtain, stand on end.

Within this domain, the vision was distorted, those outside couldn’t see inside, and similarly... even those within should not be able to see themselves clearly either.

"Previously, I said... I’d be waiting on the river bank for someone. You bring people, I release people." Crow sighed softly, "The lady always taught me, to act with proper reasoning and clear articulation, only then can you stand tall and justified."

With that, he looked towards the distant river bank dam.

The apparent cause of everything tonight... the unfortunate one dragged out from the negative third floor of Huazhi for violation, had been shot through the throat by a "Purple Silver Bullet" from his own people, draining all his blood.

"I was prepared to release the person. But you all are relentless," Crow said softly, "There shouldn’t be any rule in the underground that protects your actions... if you want to kill me, be prepared to be killed by me."

These words fell on the ears of the Transcendents like the final verdict of a trial.

Every Sincere Heart Transcendent prepared to retreat tensed up anew, getting ready for battle once again.

"Do you want to... negotiate?"

But such words, when they reached the ears of the eldest brother, had a different meaning.

In his view, if the aim was simply to eliminate his group... then with Crow’s strength, this battle would have already ended.

There was no need to lure them from the river bank to near the South Bay Basin, much less to delay the time.

Accompanying that voice, a vague figure slowly approached from the river, with countless suspended water droplets surrounding the man, an ice bridge forming on the river’s surface.

Carrying two of his sworn brothers, the crowd parted to make way for him.

"Su Cha," the eldest brother began slowly, stating his own name, then faintly praised, "I have long heard of the bravery and invincibility of the North City Crow; seeing you tonight proves it’s true."

Song Ci couldn’t help but laugh a bit.

But it was just a laugh.

Such a laugh, dry, didn’t sound like satisfaction or joy, instead, it felt more like a mockery or disdain.

In fact, Crow had no intention of looking down upon Su Cha, he simply found it amusing.

To flatter an opponent after a defeat was not something he would do... just like crushing opposition with overwhelming force and ordering a retreat when the battle turned unfavorable.

Should one say the other was spineless or that they were adept at judging the situation?

Crow studied the man who made the last entrance, he had long understood where the man was hiding... He didn’t possess eagle eyes or any seals to enhance his vision, all he had were his fists and a heart that was open and forthright.

So... he closed his eyes.

And saw even clearer.

When he threw that punch, the entire Heavenly Curtain trembled, and he almost shattered the realm—the Transcendent maintaining this domain would necessarily have to invest more power, and the only place unaffected, still stable... was where the river mist enveloped Su Cha’s original location.

Su Cha was too cautious and too afraid of being discovered by Crow.

And that made everything "visible" in crystal clarity... after that punch, Crow abandoned the idea of breaking the Heavenly Curtain, Su Cha guessed correctly, once the battle lost its suspense, Crow’s goal was no longer to defeat the opponent but to ensure the situation remained under his control.

Changing the battlefield.

Moving to the South Bay Basin.

Everything he had done from the beginning... his true purpose was to buy time, Gu Shen was heading to the South Bay Building to steal the closed-circuit host’s information, and he needed to secure time for Gu Shen, at least to prevent these people from getting back.

Most importantly, he had promised his wife not to stir up trouble.

"I’ve heard that Mr. Chen San claims he wants to skin me alive."

Song Ci said in a soft voice.

"Although my father-in-law is a man of his word, that statement was indeed made in a fit of rage and should not be taken literally," Su Cha chuckled.

"However, you should know that he has high regard for his kin... so he was very furious about the past incident," Su Cha shifted the topic, after showing himself, his demeanor was not submissive, handling the pressure exerted by Crow with ease, "Last time, it was the lady’s intervention that settled matters for you, but if you were to cause a slaughter tonight, even the lady could not save you."

Upon hearing those words, Song Ci narrowed his eyes, falling silent.

Following the rules.

Both parties leading people, releasing people, there should not have been additional disputes tonight.

But Su Cha took action... Crow retaliated, which could be considered a breach on both sides, compensating each other, so it could be justified in terms of rules.

If someone were to act ruthlessly, truly leading to the "death" of an important person, then the nature of the matter would be different.

Su Cha was a cunning man.

The actual purpose of their visit was to kill Crow.

If they had succeeded... the price of the matter would not be hard to bear.

They could afford it.

On the other hand... Crow’s side was different.

Song Ci was neither willing to pay the price nor inclined to kill the four sworn sons of Chen San before him; in his view, they were not significant figures, nor worth such a sacrifice on his part.

Su Cha was further convinced by Song Ci’s silence.

So, he put forth another statement, "Let tonight’s matters come to an end; it’s the best outcome for both of us. The lady won’t pursue your responsibility, and we can mend the relationship between us."

Crow closed his eyes.

He appeared to be contemplating.

Murmurs faintly rose from the crowd; Su Cha had patience, he raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet, waiting for the other’s response.

After a long while.

"Tonight, I’ll let you go... then the matter is over..."

Crow’s voice spread across the river.

Finally, it was going to end... those Transcendents with tense bodies didn’t even have time to show emotions like joy.

Crow’s voice sounded again.

"Su Cha... that’s what you want to hear, right?"