"What are you talking about?" Bai Cha looked at the stunned Gu Mingze with some helplessness. "Didn't you see he can't move?"
Meng Qinghuan's move was indeed powerful, but its drawback was also fatal. Without teammates, he was a sitting duck. What was there to be shocked about?
Oh, right.
Gu Mingze scratched his head, finding it reasonable. But he still thought it was amazing. This was the first time he had seen such a scene in his life.
"Can you still move?" Bai Cha looked at Cang Liu. "They activated several self-destruct devices just now, and the places where the children were held have all collapsed. You have water abilities. Use water to separate the children from the debris to facilitate rescue."
"Okay," Cang Liu nodded, but hesitated slightly. "But my water abilities are all imbued with extreme coldness. They might freeze them."
"Then let them be frozen. Frozen ones can still be rescued. But if they're buried again, they'll be crushed to death," Bai Cha said, looking into the distance. "Meng Qinghuan has already fully permeated his consciousness into every inch of this place. He will tell you what to do."
There, two figures were locked in combat: Lucifer and Bai Ze. Not far away, Tu Guangshao had been subdued by Yun He, his limbs dislocated, knocked out, and handcuffed to the ground.
Gu Mingze pursed his lips. Cang Liu's right arm was still dripping with blood, the everted flesh showing no signs of healing. He couldn't imagine how Cang Liu could agree to it so impassively.
Gu Mingze wanted to stop Cang Liu from continuing to work and at least treat his wound. However, looking at Bai Cha's obviously severely injured and unstable aura, the still-wet bloodstains on her cheeks made Gu Mingze feel a little harsh. After hesitating for a moment, he swallowed the words he was about to say.
In the air, Lucifer retreated while fighting. He deliberately led Bai Ze to the center of the sky island, surrounded by the protective shield created by Meng Qinghuan. Fighting there would put significant pressure on Meng Qinghuan.
"Um, can I go?" Gu Mingze said weakly. "I can help move rocks or something..."
This didn't seem like much help, but he was just worried about Cang Liu. After all, that arm had become like that to save him.
Bai Cha turned her head and gave Gu Mingze a deep look, tacitly agreeing to Gu Mingze's words. She then soared into the air and headed towards the two figures fighting in the sky.
Originally, Lucifer thought his darkness, originating from the plane's essence, was dark enough. But the blood Fiend Qi that flashed from Bai Ze was another kind of completely different chill. That Fiend Qi, which completely defied the natural order, seemed to have gathered all the malevolent intentions of a plane. When it collided with the dark power, it was a match for it, with neither able to overcome the other.
However, the difference was that the corrosive effect of the scattered dark power was on the surface, while the blood Fiend Qi, once inhaled, would cause damage and unstable vital energy.
What made Lucifer most helpless was that Bai Ze seemed to have lost all consciousness, only attacking, completely fearless of pain or corrosion.
Dark bats swarmed towards Bai Ze, obscuring his vision. Bai Ze, without even blinking, charged directly through the bat barrier. Unexpectedly, as soon as he broke through this screen, Lucifer's long leg met him.
This flying kick was not light. It directly sent Bai Ze backward, his head and neck twisting almost 180 degrees backward.
Just as Lucifer landed a punch, the blood Fiend Qi on Bai Ze's body surged again, forcefully reversing Bai Ze's tendency to fall backward. He directly rammed his head forward and collided with Lucifer.
Under the violent impact, Lucifer retreated a full five or six steps before stopping. However, Bai Ze was sent backward by more than ten meters by Lucifer's punch and the black dragon that swept over him.
At this moment, the blood Fiend Qi on Bai Ze's body flickered intermittently. In less than ten minutes, Bai Ze's muscles had visibly withered by a third.
Golden chains quietly ascended. The timing was perfect, precisely catching Bai Ze in the moment he was repelled and exhausted, and had not yet recovered, locking him in place and unable to move.
Under the entanglement of Buddhist light, Bai Ze's chaotic eyes suddenly flashed. Before the blood Fiend Qi could surge back, a silver light flashed, and a blood-colored dagger pierced Bai Ze's chest.
"Gasp... gasp..." Blood continuously overflowed from Bai Ze's mouth, and the blood Fiend Qi on his body rapidly dissipated. Vital blood energy was intensely evaporating, and thick blood mist enveloped both Bai Cha and himself.
Bai Cha had been manipulating blood power for several years, so she knew the weakness of blood Fiend Qi. Places like the throat and brain, which seemed soft, were actually heavily protected areas of blood Fiend Qi and were difficult to break through. The heart, on the other hand, was the main base of blood Fiend Qi.
In this strike, Bai Cha did not hesitate or hold back. Or rather, Bai Cha didn't even look up to see the state of her target. She just emptied her mind and plunged the sword forward numbly.
She knew that only she could not fail.
The blood mist grew thicker, as if the blood within her body was being heated and evaporated. Bai Cha and Bai Ze's blood Fiend Qi collided, but Bai Cha clearly had the upper hand.
The blood mist was so dense that those on the ground could not see what was happening within it. Only Lucifer saw, a few steps away, Bai Ze extending his arms and embracing Bai Cha.
Bai Ze hugged Bai Cha tightly and forcefully pushed against the dagger in his chest, as if trying to make the dagger piercing his chest sink deeper.
He rested his head on Bai Cha's shoulder. He could feel no warmth, nor could he see the scenery before him. He could only vaguely see the silhouette of the young girl in front of him through the blood-red haze. He felt as if he could no longer feel his limbs. He felt himself gradually dying.
On Bai Cha's collarbone, the crimson crystal was glowing. Faintly, blood energy could be seen being absorbed by it, and a slight resonance was produced.
This necklace also recognized Bai Ze. Even it still remembered its previous owner.
"Cha..." Bai Ze's voice was extremely dry and distorted. His mind was increasingly chaotic, and he could only vaguely sense Bai Cha in front of him. However, the crimson crystal on Bai Cha's chest was becoming brighter and brighter in his eyes.
That was the symbol of the Bai family. Every clan leader would wear it, and he had worn it too. So, this crystal probably recognized him.
"I can't feel you anymore, Chacha." Bai Ze tried to speak more clearly, but he could no longer control his tongue and teeth.
Yet, he could feel that his mood was very good. His nearly dead brain was still using its last strength to transmit feelings of happiness to him.
"You... have grown up."
This sentence seemed to have used up all of Bai Ze's strength. After saying his last words, his entire body withered. All the vital energy and blood in his body were evaporated. Now, he had truly become a dried corpse.
However, even though his body was somewhat shriveled, his features still faintly showed the outline of his once elegant and handsome appearance, with a faint smile, as if he were having a beautiful dream.
The rescue team had been fully deployed. The Shadow Faction mobilized all its forces, and its public relations department issued a notice to the Neutral Faction. The Neutral Faction quickly made amendments and responded to the public.
All the children were rescued. Over sixty percent suffered severe injuries, but fortunately, they were all alive.
Tu Guangshao was detained by the Shadow Faction first, and Tu Guangrao was summoned and ordered to undergo a special interrogation immediately. Meng Qinghuan finally withdrew his power. Baimeng's power was inherently incomplete, and this struggle directly caused him to fall into a deep sleep.
Meng Qinghuan resealed his eyes and returned to the ground, back to Bai Cha's side. He removed the golden spatial barrier, and the rain that had been blocked outside immediately poured down, washing away the dried bloodstains.
Bai Cha stood on the ruins, holding Bai Ze. Lucifer followed behind her, holding a black umbrella over Bai Cha's head as if in final mourning.
She lowered her eyes, standing silently amidst the ruins, gently stroking her brother's brows and eyes. Lucifer said nothing, and Meng Qinghuan said nothing.
In the silence, black tongues of flame licked Bai Ze's body, spreading gradually, and then engulfing him, leaving nothing behind, not even ash. It was as if this person had never existed in this world, as if everything that had just happened was merely an illusion.
The silence did not last long before a clear voice echoed from a distance, breaking the heavy and gloomy atmosphere.
"Bai Cha! Miss Bai! We're back!"
Gu Mingze was drenched by the rain, but he still pulled Cang Liu and ran towards them, his excitement unconcealed.
"Bai Cha! Miss Bai! We saved all the children's lives! I saved over a hundred by myself!" Gu Mingze's hair was stuck to his face. Although he wasn't exceptionally handsome, he had a clean and harmless face. His previous dejection and timidity seemed to have vanished.
He was smiling happily, a little foolishly.
Cang Liu was much more sensitive than Gu Mingze. Seeing Bai Cha's expression, he knew what had happened. He could feel the faint sadness emanating from Bai Cha.
Cang Liu tugged at Gu Mingze's arm, signaling him to shut up. Smiling so happily in front of a grieving person was clearly awkward and strange.
However, Cang Liu had underestimated Gu Mingze's thick skin. Gu Mingze was still immersed in the excitement of having accomplished so many "earth-shattering" feats he had never even dared to imagine.
"Really, I was so amazing today! I didn't chicken out! I sacrificed myself to save those kids today! At first, I even helped you black out the surveillance here!" Gu Mingze spoke more and more excitedly, waving his hands happily. "I've never been this amazing in my life!"
Silence reigned around him. No one responded to him. At this point, even Gu Mingze, as slow-witted as he was, realized something was wrong. Just as he was about to scratch his head awkwardly, Bai Cha, who had come forward at some unknown time, grabbed his wrist.
"It really hurts when a scratched finger is poked by hair. Don't scratch your head when you're embarrassed." Bai Cha held Gu Mingze's wrist, looking at his bloody fingers with a faint smile. "You worked really hard."
For Gu Mingze, who was only slightly stronger than an ordinary person, digging out so many people was definitely the extent of his efforts. His ten fingers would likely be unusable for several days.
"Hehe, exactly. From now on, I'm one of you guys!" Gu Mingze grinned foolishly and waved his fist. "The kind that will serve you like a cow or a horse!"
Bai Cha said nothing, only smiled. Around them, parents and children were crying, but this time, their tears were not of loss, but of the joy of reunion.
To exchange my loss for your reunion, what was wrong with that?
Bai Cha twitched the corner of her mouth and looked up, wanting to look at the sky. As she looked up, she saw Lucifer's face, handsome, deep, filled with concern and tenderness.
"Don't worry, it's over." Bai Cha squeezed Lucifer's hand.
Lucifer was speechless. He didn't know how to comfort Bai Cha, but he didn't expect Bai Cha to comfort him instead. His heart ached, but he didn't know what to say.
He didn't want to say platitudes that Bai Cha already knew. He could only choose to stand silently behind Bai Cha, accompanying her like this.
"Prisoners secured, mission complete."
"Miss Bai! Mission complete."
"We're back, we're back! So tired!"
Not long after, Yun He also appeared beside Bai Cha. One after another, everyone gathered around.
Normally, Bai Cha hadn't noticed, but this time, with everyone gathered around her, Bai Cha realized how many people were by her side. They called her by respectful titles, yet their attitudes were casual and intimate.
"Yes, I'm tired." Bai Cha smiled, her clear voice carrying a hint of gentleness in the rain, shattering in everyone's ears. "The mission is complete. It's time to go home."