"Oh hell yeah, bro! No clue you were a Culti with all the sleepin in coffin and shit." Lil Marquis grinned, slapping his hand on Fang Fang's shoulder. "Check it, my homie Daniel, he's a Level 1 Maven, and me a Level 1 Guru. My bad for draggin' you into this far, but how about we show you round the city?"
'Culti?… Does he mean cultivator?' Fang Fang's smile lessened.
"Ye-ye-yeah, Ma-Ma-Ma-Marcello… just go-go-going to-to-to fo-fo-forget about it. Let's get out of do-dod-dodge be-before he recovers."
The sun began its descent, painting the sky with magnificent hues of the sand. In the far west, the orange desert appeared to merge seamlessly with the sky. Luca and Remo, the odd men out in the scenery, brought Marcello down from the car's roof.
Marcello had fallen unconscious.
After tending to Marcello's wound using strips of black tie and makeshift ropes torn from his shirt, Luca stood up and made his way towards Fang Fang. He had noticed the tattoos reappearing on his skin as he was attending to Marcello.
Relief dawned upon his once-gloomy face as he stole multiple glances at Fang Fang.
Although the reappearance of the tattoos was reassuring to him, he remained vigilant all the while. The logic behind this was simple – you don't hand over a weapon to someone you've just shot in the legs. Only two types of individuals would make such an illogical move: those with a massive strength advantage or complete lunatics.
He was quietly desperate to secure more allies in the city. Thus, Fang Fang being either was fine by him.
"Brother, don't do it," Remo pleaded, as his black rat eyes reflected Luca taking a step toward their enemies, but Luca answered his plea with a steam look and continued walking towards Fang Fang.
"You should've killed us-" Luca began.
"It's bad karma," Fang Fang quickly interjected. He even puffed out his chest in an attempt to project a strong front. While he had read about such strategies in books, this was his first time trying it out, which made his words rush out.
The situation turned a bit awkward, as Fang Fang observed Luca's mouth opening and closing, indicating that Luca had more to say.
In reality, Fang Fang was struggling to contain a mix of emotions and thoughts, so much so that he wished he could lie down in the warm sand and drift into a deep slumber. However, nervousness was keeping him alert and watchful.
Despite fear bugs crawling all over his mental, he was committed to keeping his mind open and capable of objective thinking. He attentively heard Luca.
"Da boss went into a deep sleep to speed up healing. The bleeding isn't as crazy as before. I can't say for sure how bad the damage is, but there are a few top-notch doctors who can bring him back to his full strength, it might take time."
"I see," Fang Fang responded, though a question gnawed at his mind: 'Why is he telling me this?'
"My name is Luca Gallo, I am a rat-human from the Nuechese family," Luca introduced himself, pausing to allow room for a response from Fang Fang. When none came, he continued, "Got a task that could use your expertise. Can't spill the classified info unless you're in, but I'm pretty damn sure a prodigy like you will be more than pleased with what's cooking for your work."
Prodigy? Fang Fang felt his cheeks grow warm, but it wasn't discernible because the hot desert sun had already tanned his skin. He had never been called a prodigy before. In his past life, he was only good at things which his peers were not interested in.
But thanks to his peculiarity, he had managed to live for 500 years. The only sorrow was that his peers had passed away before knowing he outlived them.
"Sure. I will consider it, surely. However, I'd like to acquaint myself with this world first."
"If you're up for it, I could give you a tour of the city," Luca said.
"The city, indeed," Fang Fang replied, as he sighed in secret. "But I am fine."
'I need to familiarize myself with the world, restart my cultivation, and uncover the secrets of stealing Embernit.'
"Find me at the Neuchese office in about a month's time,," Luca said. He looked at Marquis and Daniel to hint that Fang Fang could reach him with their help. "I hope they can show you a good-a time. Please remember, you are forgiving but the city can be cruel."
Luca nodded solemnly before making his way back to the Fort T. He settled into the car, where Marcello lay in the back seat. The engine purred to life as Remo started the car, and the vehicle began to maneuver around Fang Fang and his companions before heading east.
Despite the city lying to the west, they opted to drive towards the Barrage town because of its proximity. Plus for their group, returning to the city in this condition was akin to kissing death on the cheek.
"Did you catch that?" Marquis asked after the car moved about 100 meters away. "That fool didn't even throw a look my way."
"Yeah, rats recover qu-i-i-ick. He ca-can be-be-beat us any ti-time of the day. But Ma-Ma-Marcello isn't in good shape… I'm curious how lo-long it will take for him to-to-to-to re-recover."
'The only reason Luca gave me face is because he sees me as an unknown factor,' Fang Fang added silently to himself. As the car shrank into a distant speck, he turned towards the wooden coffin without saying a word.
"Since you got me this far, I hope you can continue carrying me until we reach the city."
"Motherf-" Lil Marquis controlled himself, as their mother was the same.
.
.
Fang Fang slept inside the coffin, his mind suspended in his pre-awaking state; thoughts didn't bubble up, his body unable to stir, his heart silent like a serene sky. Yet, under boundless emptiness, he found himself by a brook flowing through a forest of towering trees, shapes he couldn't make out due to the darkness.
The breeze was cool, a perfect relief after the scorching day's battle. He reclined on the grass and glimpsed the sky through a gap in the thick canopy. Although it was the dead of night, a sudden burst of yellow fireworks illuminated the air. They were followed by sand splatters that resembled the impact of Tommy gun bullets hitting the desert floor. Despite the breathtaking display, the entire scene unfolded in eerie silence, leaving an inexplicable unease tingling in his eyes.
He tried to sit up in his slumber, but an invisible barrier blocked his movement. Even before he could lift his head an inch, it collided with a piece of wood. The homies had sealed him shut inside the coffin. He knocked on the coffin's lid, hoping to get out. However, before he could make another sound, a tap echoed against the coffin's surface, and Marquis's voice penetrated his ears.
"He's gone, stone-cold gone. DEAD!" Marquis wailed. "Lady, if you got some fetish, I ain't holding you back from peeping at my DEAD homie." He slammed his hand on the coffin lid as if he was angry, but it was also a signal for Fang Fang.
"Look at us and show us some mercy. We barely escaped the Desert Marauders." Daniel pleaded, his voice trembling with exhaustion, as if he hadn't eaten in three days and was barely clinging to life. "I beg you, please let us go."