Chapter Forty-Eight: The Battle for Dominion (Part One)

Xiao Yang’s arrow pierced straight through a man’s shoulder blade, and he shouted, “All this talk about the Great Forest Temple’s martial arts—they’re really just practicing mutated forms of Wing Chun and Hung Gar.”

These facts had never been told to Wu Jue before: the Great Forest Temple had not been completely destroyed in those years. Some disciples had scattered into the world, revising parts of the temple’s martial arts. Over time, these evolved into the renowned schools of later generations.

“So that’s how it is!” A sense of comfort washed over Wu Jue, but at that very moment, the warship ahead activated its cannons, aiming squarely at the two of them.

Seeing this, Xiao Yang quickly pulled out three arrows, took aim, and loosed them in rapid succession. With a thunderous explosion in midair, a dense smoke spread, and using the opportunity, Xiao Yang grabbed Wu Jue and whisked them both away.

They finally made it back near the commercial district, hiding behind a tall building. They pressed the two captives firmly to the ground, stifling any sound that might draw attention.

Xiao Yang quietly asked Wu Jue, “Do you think those monsters will chase after us?”

Wu Jue shook his head in self-reproach. “We might have dragged our new friends into this. I wonder what his elder brother will think?”

After a brief wait, the commotion from the Tianzhu Clan seemed to subside. Xiao Yang couldn’t resist stepping out for a look, only to see the enemy’s warship now training its cannons overhead. It struck him that Gao Lin’s side must be responding as well.

Indeed, turning back, he saw that the rooftops ahead were bristling with weapons, all aimed at the opposition. A man shouted from atop a tall building, “Hey, you Tianzhu monsters, enough of your antics! We’ve got guests today—show us some respect and go eat dirt somewhere else. Or if you’re itching for a fight, let’s settle it now. Let’s see who’ll come out on top in Jiangzhou City!”

The Tianzhu Clan, after a moment’s pause, responded stiffly, “Gao Li, don’t be so smug! Sooner or later, Jiangzhou will be ours—the whole nation will be ours. And even Earth itself won’t escape our grasp…”

“Shut up!” With a whistling sound, an arrow flew from above, but exploded into a cloud of smoke against the massive warship.

Instantly, the mutant insects underground began writhing and fleeing in all directions, and even the warship in the sky retreated, trying desperately to avoid the spreading smoke.

Wu Jue couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise, “What is that thing—so powerful?”

Xiao Yang donned infrared goggles and analyzed, “It seems to smell like insecticide. No wonder those bugs scattered.”

“It’s more than just insecticide,” came Gao Lin’s voice from behind them. “We’ve also developed a special vaccine against the Tianzhu Clan’s virus.” He appeared behind the two, saying, “Come with me. My elder brother wants to meet you.”

Wu Jue and Xiao Yang exchanged a glance. If the one who shot that arrow was indeed his elder brother, then this meeting would surely be interesting.

Unexpectedly, Gao Li himself came out to greet them.

“Oh, such rare guests!” Gao Li was refined yet hearty, shaking their hands with a broad smile. “I’ve been hoping to meet some compatriots from outside for so long, and finally, here you are.”

Xiao Yang smiled back. “We’re just as surprised. We never imagined Jiangzhou could hold out against the Tianzhu Clan for so long. You are the remarkable ones.”

Gao Li patted Gao Lin’s shoulder. “My brother is just overly cautious. You’ve seen for yourself—he’ll put anyone through their paces. Especially after watching your fight with the Tianzhu Clan, I’m sure no one will doubt your intentions.”

Gao Lin smiled without comment, merely saying, “Brother, I’ll go keep watch at the border. It looks like they’re starting to invade the tunnels—we must be careful.”

For a fleeting moment, Gao Li’s face changed, but he quickly waved it off. “Go on. I know you won’t rest easy otherwise. I’ll take care of our guests for you.”

With a nod, Gao Lin led a few others toward the commercial district to patrol.

Gao Li then invited Wu Jue and Xiao Yang into the building for a more in-depth conversation.

In truth, they had already noticed something unusual in the brothers’ relationship—especially after Gao Lin left, when Gao Li joked that his brother had grown up on the streets, closing himself off and finding it hard to trust others, so any unpleasantness should be forgiven.

Xiao Yang interjected, “Actually, I don’t think Gao Lin was wrong. This isn’t an age of peace—if it were me, I’d be even more resolute.”

This made Gao Li visibly awkward, betraying a lack of inner consistency.

His attitude soon turned arrogant. As they sat in the lobby, Gao Li smiled. “I hear you’re from Tianhai City. What’s the situation there? Any good news? With your skills, you should be able to handle the Tianzhu Clan easily. Oh, and I just learned their name today—what a domineering title!”

Wu Jue chuckled. “Names don’t matter much. The real threat is the subtle, undetectable virus. Take these two I brought back—they look perfectly normal, but they’re controlled by a higher-level virus. If they blend in with humans, it’s almost impossible to spot them.”

Gao Li’s face darkened. He immediately called, “Bring up those two captives. Let’s interrogate them thoroughly.”

Soon, the two were pushed forward, kneeling in a daze, silent as the grave.

Wu Jue glanced at them and said, “These two use the old Great Forest Temple’s martial arts. Gao Benefactor, do you recognize them?”

Gao Li had them examined. Someone recognized them and exclaimed, “Aren’t these from the city’s martial arts team? How did they turn into alien spies?”

Xiao Yang stepped forward and suddenly severed one man’s finger. “Take a look under a microscope. There’s definitely something abnormal in their bodies—maybe even altered genes.”

Gao Li rose impatiently. “What a nuisance. If they’re spies, just get rid of them. What’s the point of all these questions?”

Without warning, he drew his pistol and, with two shots, executed them on the spot.

Wu Jue’s face turned ashen. He put his hands together in prayer, chanting, “Amitabha, what a sin, what a terrible sin!”

Xiao Yang laughed coldly. “How ridiculous. Killing them changes nothing—it’s just like killing the chicken for its eggs.”

Even as he spoke, black blood began to gush from the wounds of the two corpses, pouring out until it turned into disgusting worms that squirmed in all directions.

The sight horrified everyone present—no zombie monster they’d seen before had ended up like this.

Wu Jue shouted first, “Everyone back! These viruses are seeking new hosts—we can’t let them succeed!”

He drew his pistol and began firing at the ground, while Xiao Yang ordered the others to evacuate quickly. He pulled out an arrow, broke off the tip, and said, “Anyone have a lighter? Quick, light this.”

Gao Li froze for a moment before frantically fumbling in his pocket for a lighter. He struck it repeatedly and handed it over, but in his panic, dropped it on the floor. Xiao Yang reacted instantly, striking the arrowhead on the ground to spark a flame. He hurled it at the corpses, grabbed Gao Li, and pulled him out the window. “Master, let’s go!”

The fire quickly engulfed the two bodies. The worms began to screech as they burned. Wu Jue kept shooting and dodging, knowing that to wipe out the virus completely, the area had to be sealed.

He locked all the nearby doors and windows, then climbed out himself, waiting to gun down any worm that tried to escape.

When the blaze inside reached its peak and the bodies were charred, the writhing and screeching finally ceased.

Only then did Wu Jue leap down from the building to rejoin Xiao Yang and the others.

End of Chapter 48: The Battle for Dominance (Part One).