At that moment, the girl's mind went blank!
She stared blankly at the laughing Evolvers and Chosen Ones, feeling as though the world around her was spinning. Despair, sadness, and anger engulfed her like searing flames, consuming all her reason in an instant!
"Roar–!"
She charged at them like a crazed, wounded beast, only to be kicked back even faster, her head bleeding profusely. Yet, the girl paid no heed to her injuries.
Again and again, she attacked, and again and again, she was effortlessly kicked away.
This was not a fight but a brutal torment!
Moments later, the severely injured and dying girl lay in a pool of blood, unable to muster the strength to rise. She could only stretch her hand forward, murmuring incoherently, "Give… give them back! Give me back… my dad… mom… give them back! Give them back! Give them back to me!!!"
The only response was the room full of mocking laughter.
"Waaah—! Waaah—!" At this moment, the jaguar cub struggled to crawl over, positioning itself between the girl and the Evolvers. Its crying finally brought some clarity to the girl. "Little… little one…"
"Huh?!" The horned goat Chosen One made a curious sound, noticing the cub for the first time. He laughed, "How interesting, even in such dire straits, you picked up a burden. But…"
Speaking with a smile, he lifted his foot and stomped on the cub a few times before suddenly kicking it harshly!
With a "bang," the cub smashed through the thick wall and landed in the next room.
"But look, it's dead now!" Satisfied with the girl's look of despair, the horned Chosen One laughed loudly, "Hahaha!"
At this, the large goat Chosen One spoke indifferently, "Enough, stop playing around and kill the brat."
"You're too serious!" The horned Chosen One shrugged, "What's the harm in a bit of fun? But, fine, if you insist." With a grim smile, he walked towards the despairing girl.
Just then, a childish voice suddenly rang out, "Don't you feel ashamed, bullying a little girl like this?"
Amidst the astonished looks, a young jaguar walked through the hole in the wall, nonchalantly entering the room. He was a head shorter than the girl, but after picking up the cowboy hat from the ground, he walked to the girl lying in a pool of blood and gently placed the hat on her head, comforting, "It's okay now, little girl."
The scene had a peculiar sense of dissonance, as despite his small size, he spoke and acted as though he were an adult.
"Little… one?" The girl barely lifted her head, her eyes vacant, weakly asking.
Her vision blurred, but she could smell the familiar scent of the cub.
The jaguar gently patted her head through the hat and reassured her again, "It's okay now." Then, he stood up and turned to face the Evolvers and Chosen Ones, saying, "From now on, I will be your opponent."
As soon as he finished speaking, he reached back, then brought his hand to the front.
In his small paw was a golden horn.
At that moment, the golden horn on the forehead of the horned Chosen One was gone.
"Attacking a dying little girl, don't you have any shame?" The young jaguar looked up at him, his voice childish but cold. "If you have any guts, attack me head-on, you trash!"
"You're the one from before?" The horned Chosen One frowned, "How did you grow up suddenly?!"
"Because it's past midnight," the jaguar replied.
"Hmph! Mystifying nonsense!" The horned Chosen One sneered, looking at the horn in the jaguar's hand, and commanded, "Come back."
But the golden horn didn't react.
"Come back."
No response.
"Come back!"
Still no response.
The horned Chosen One's face turned red, and he shouted loudly, "Come back!!!"
The young jaguar looked at the horn in his hand, then at the horned Chosen One's bloodstained right leg, stained from repeatedly kicking the girl.
"If you want it, I'll give it back to you!" he suddenly said, then casually flicked his hand.
In an instant, with a "bang," the horned Chosen One's right leg vanished as if struck by a cannonball, leaving only a bloody hoof on the ground.
Everything happened too fast!
It took two or three seconds for the horned Chosen One to react, the excruciating pain flooding his nerves, making him clutch his leg and roll on the ground.
The sudden turn of events threw the Evolvers into chaos!
But the young jaguar had no intention of taking advantage of the situation to slaughter them. He simply took a step forward and shouted, "Come!"
"Don't get cocky, brat!" Seeing this, the large goat Chosen One roared, his hooves and horns suddenly enlarging several times, turning dark gray and exuding a menacing aura.
With a powerful stomp, he vanished from sight.
"Bang! Bang! Bang—!"
The sound of hooves hitting the floor echoed like a torrential rain in the room!
Seemingly cautious of the jaguar's strength, he didn't charge directly but kept changing positions, looking for an opportunity.
After about ten seconds, a sharp glint flashed in the goat Chosen One's eyes. Finding an angle, his hooves grew even larger, and with a powerful stomp, he unleashed his full strength, charging at the jaguar.
At the same time, a strange black glow began to flow on his horn.
However, everything stopped the moment he touched the jaguar!
The massive recoil shook the goat Chosen One's internal organs violently. In a daze, he felt like he was being lifted.
Being lifted?!
His pupils contracted, barely regaining clarity from the impact, and he was terrified!
The young jaguar had grabbed his horn with one hand, swinging him heavily onto the floor.
The reinforced concrete floor shattered on impact!
They were on the fifth floor, but the goat Chosen One's body crashed through several floors, finally smashing into the ground floor with a loud crash.
Rubble flew, dust billowed! Moonlight shone through the windows, illuminating the bottomless black hole like a beast ready to devour.
At this moment, the remaining goat Evolvers fell silent, even the horned Chosen One, now missing a leg, dared not make a sound. Only the sound of falling debris and cracking floors remained.
The world was quiet, as though it contained only them and the young jaguar, who was staring at them.
"Come!"
Half a minute later, it was all over.
The young leopard didn't display any strange abilities or showcase any sophisticated techniques, yet the battle ended decisively and overwhelmingly in his favor.
All the abilities and tricks became meaningless in the face of his straightforward combat. It was pure speed, strength, reflexes, and physical capability!
After the battle ended, the young leopard walked back to the girl, finding her unconscious. He carefully repositioned her and used his claw to cut his finger, letting his blood drip into her mouth.
"Don't worry, little girl, you'll be fine," he said. Though his voice was youthful, it carried a reassuring tone. As if feeling the comfort even in her coma, the girl's pained expression slightly eased.
After ensuring her well-being, the young leopard surveyed the surroundings. His previous strike had nearly split the entire building in half. Though it seemed stable for now, it was dangerous for the unconscious girl.
So, he picked her up, gathered his belongings, and moved to a safer place.
Time passed slowly. Due to severe injuries and psychological trauma, the girl remained unconscious till morning. However, her breathing had become much steadier, and her wounds had mostly healed.
The young leopard kept watch for a while, then went out to find some food and clothing.
Day turned to night. The girl remained in her deep sleep until the next evening when her eyelids lightly fluttered.
"Is the little girl awake?" Before her vision cleared, a clear yet slightly childish voice reached her ears.
"Ah—!" The wolf girl abruptly opened her eyes, and memories of the events before she lost consciousness flooded her mind, causing her to clutch her head and scream in agony.
At that moment, a warm hand gently pressed down on her head, "Don't be afraid, it's all over."
The girl looked up in confusion and saw a jaguar standing in front of her, about two heads taller than she was. "They are all dead," he said.
"Dead?" she asked, dumbfounded, not quite comprehending.
The young leopard nodded, "Yes, they are all dead." Hearing this, the girl wanted to ask something but suddenly sniffed the air and looked at the boy in front of her in astonishment. She hesitantly asked, "Baby?"
It was only then that she noticed, although the clothes the young leopard wore were unfamiliar, the cowboy hat on his head and the sword at his waist were indeed the baby's.
She suddenly remembered that before losing consciousness, though her vision was blurry, she had seen the baby suddenly grow up, reaching a height only a head shorter than hers.
But now…he was about two heads taller than she was!
Did I sleep for many years?
At this moment, the girl was utterly confused.
Is this really the baby in front of me?
The current bewildering situation even made her temporarily forget the painful memories. Seeing her confusion, the young leopard thought for a moment and said, "This is my ability."
"Ability?" she exclaimed in surprise.
She knew that all chosen ones had their abilities, as her mother was a chosen one. Though she had inherited some benefits while in her mother's womb, apart from speaking fluent human languages, she was no different from other evolvers. She never expected the baby to be a chosen one.
"Infant, juvenile, young adult, adult, middle-aged, old, and senile—each period lasts seven days, continuously cycling. My strength varies at different stages," the young leopard explained calmly. "This is my ability—[Mayfly's Fate]."
"Oh, oh… wait, no!" she said in confusion. "Baby, you stayed an infant for several days!"
"After forcing a transformation into a particular stage, I remain in the infant stage for the entire next cycle," the young leopard simply explained and then, slightly embarrassed, added, "The infant stage is the only period I can hardly control. Sorry for the trouble."
"Oh…" she nodded in a daze.
So the baby isn't a baby…although she didn't know his actual age, he should be older than her.
Thinking back to the moments he cried and wiped his nose in her arms, she found it amusing and awkward. "I never thought you were a chosen one," she said.
"Chosen one?" The young leopard frowned and asked, "Is that what they call us here too? Those who have gained from the meteorite fragments?"
"Yeah!" she replied, "Everyone calls them that. Why, baby?"
"…" He pondered for a moment and then said, "Nothing. Also, don't call me baby."
"What's your name then?" she asked.
"I am Cang Long, Lao Ku Cang Long," the young leopard stated.
"Cang Long?" Hearing the name, she seemed to recall something and said, "I've heard my parents talk about it…"
She was about to say more but bit her lip upon mentioning "parents." It took a while for her to loosen her grip, but every time she mentioned "parents," she couldn't continue, and tears filled her eyes.
The young leopard named Cang Long gently patted her head, "If you want to cry, just cry."
As if given permission to be vulnerable, she tightly gripped his clothes and burst into heart-wrenching sobs. Cang Long quietly waited beside her, occasionally patting her head to comfort her.
After more than half an hour, her sobs gradually subsided. She sniffled and remembered what she wanted to say earlier, "I heard from my parents that dragons were revered as divine beasts by humans who lived here before. They loved dragons a lot."
Hearing this, Cang Long's eyes showed a hint of melancholy as if recalling something, but he didn't say much, merely responding, "Yes."
"Do you worship dragons too?" she guessed.
"No, my name wasn't chosen by me," he replied, "Besides, there were no such things in my time."
"How old are you?!" she exclaimed in disbelief.
"I've lived for quite a few years," he answered.
"Definitely not as long as a dragon's history!" she retorted, gesturing animatedly while describing what dragons looked like, ending with, "These are all things my parents told me."
This scene made Cang Long a little dazed. He realized the girl was far stronger than he initially thought. "Those evolvers seemed to have other accomplices. Do you want to seek revenge?" he asked.
At the mention of this, her expression darkened, and she bit her lip before shaking her head, "No need. The two who captured my parents were among those you killed, right?"
"Yes, but the remaining ones were their accomplices. Don't you hate them?" Cang Long asked.
"I guess I still hate them," she admitted after thinking for a moment.
"Then why not kill them?" he questioned.
"Eh?! Why go to such extremes?" she asked in confusion.
Hearing this, Cang Long couldn't help but smile.
A pure heart can't be called kind, it's just simple. But after experiencing pain and seeing darkness, if one can still hold kindness toward the world amid tears and struggle, that is true kindness.
Cang Long genuinely hoped this strong and kind girl would embrace the world's beauty in her future life. He patted her head gently, "Do you have a name?"
"No," she shook her head. "I've heard some evolvers name themselves, but I don't have one. My parents didn't give me a name."
"Then can I give you one?" he asked.
"Oh… okay," she agreed.
Cang Long thought for a moment and then used his claw to carve the character "恒" on the ground.
"This character is pronounced 'Heng,' meaning unwavering," he explained.
"Heng?" she repeated.
From then on, this would be her name.
"Yes." Cang Long smiled. "I hope you can maintain your strength and kindness no matter what you encounter in the future."
She nodded, still somewhat puzzled.
"Alright, Heng, I'm leaving here. If you want, you can come with me for now," Cang Long said as he walked toward the wilderness. She quickly followed, "For now?"
"Yes," he explained. "I have something to do, and you can stay with me until then."
"What is it?" she curiously asked.
Had it been before, Cang Long might not have answered, or he might have remained silent for a moment before speaking. But now, he simply said, "To kill someone."
Because his resolve had been renewed.
They walked towards the wilderness, conversing as they went.
"Eh?! Do you have a grudge against that person?"
"No, on the contrary, I owe him a great debt."
"Then aren't you ungrateful?"
"Yes, I am ungrateful."
"Then why do you still want to do that?"
"Hmm… why? So that children like you can love and be loved, pursue what they want, and do what they wish. So you can have the chance to discover the beauty of this world…"
As the sun set, they walked farther and farther away.
The wind in the wilderness always blew with a sense of melancholy.