Flames flickered, and the campfire crackled with popping sounds as Chu Ling casually tossed a block of wood into the fire. She was still thinking about what had happened earlier, touching her now-cooled earlobe. "What did she mean by that?"
Qian Li sat across from Chu Ling, unsure what her boss meant. Since earlier, Chu Ling had been lost in thought, wearing an expression that could only be described as lovestruck.
Chu Ling suddenly snapped back to reality and asked Qian Li, "If a girl suddenly gets close to you, what would you think?"
Qian Li pointed to herself. "Boss, are you asking me?"
Chu Ling nodded and glanced at the three big guys nearby fighting over a cup of instant noodles. "Who else would I ask? Those three who can't get a girl to save their lives?"
Qian Li seriously considered the question. "It should be normal, right? Back when I was in the army, I often had close contact with girls."
"Normal?" Seeing Qian Li's earnest look, Chu Ling began doubting herself. Maybe it was normal after all. "Were you close with anyone in the army?"
"Not really. But I couldn't beat her."
"Beat…?" Chu Ling finally understood what Qian Li meant by 'close contact' and felt a bit foolish for asking.
Qian Li looked at Chu Ling quizzically. Back in the army, there had been a powerful woman far stronger than anyone else. She had saved Qian Li's life, visiting her during recovery. After her injuries healed, Qian Li learned the woman was the daughter of a general—a lieutenant general named Xiao Ling.
One rainy day, Xiao Ling had tried to persuade Qian Li to stay. "Don't go. I need you, and the Empire needs you."
Qian Li had stood before her captain's grave for a long time but still chose to leave. The two had fought, and Qian Li, no match for Xiao Ling, was beaten to the ground and gravely injured. Even as Xiao Ling's punches rained down, Qian Li remained resolute.
"Lieutenant General, even if you keep my body here, my heart doesn't belong to the Empire. This Empire no longer has anything worth protecting for me. Let me go."
It had been raining. Xiao Ling pinned Qian Li down, rainwater running down her face and onto Qian Li's. For the first time, Qian Li noticed a trace of sadness on that always-cold face. It was an emotion she still couldn't understand.
"Fine. Go."
* * * *
Chu Ling stood up. The night was still young, so she grabbed some materials from her vehicle and assembled them into a small cart. Qian Li often marveled at Chu Ling's resourcefulness, able to cobble together all sorts of strange gadgets.
Chu Ling stacked some instant noodles onto the cart and went off to peddle them. She wouldn't miss an opportunity to make money—after all, the ones sold earlier were surely all gone by now.
From a distance, Liang Liang and her two companions observed Chu Ling. The man in the black cloak spoke first. "That person looks a lot like Ah Chu."
Liang Liang watched Chu Ling sell instant noodles. Every move seemed unlike the person they once knew. "Not just similar—identical."
"She's alive. Do you think she'll come for revenge?"
"Judging by her reaction earlier, she doesn't remember. Her personality's changed, and she's even using a different name. We only knew someone named Chu Ling was making waves. Who'd have thought Chu Ling was Ah Chu?"
"So, what do we…"
"If she's forgotten, don't remind her. Let's just see how this plays out."
Chu Ling felt someone watching her and turned around, locking eyes with Liang Liang. Liang Liang smiled angelically, her expression pure and harmless.
The look sent shivers down Chu Ling's spine, and she quickly turned back around.
Liang Liang, like a lurking viper, fixed her gaze on Chu Ling. When reading a novel, who cares about how cannon fodder dies? But now that she was the cannon fodder, she had to tread carefully.
After selling her instant noodles, Chu Ling grew increasingly suspicious of Liang Liang. There had never been a boulder in this canyon before, so she took Qian Li for another patrol. Other than the one blocking the road, there were indeed no other boulders. Liang Liang's sudden appearance and A Yong's telekinesis ability seemed far too convenient.
While it looked like they'd helped Chu Ling's group, what if the boulder was their doing in the first place? Moving it with telekinesis wouldn't be difficult. But this was just speculation.
The novel's storyline had shifted because of Chu Ling, heading into uncharted territory she couldn't predict.
During the patrol, Chu Ling once again noticed the claw marks covering the canyon walls. She crouched by one to inspect it more closely.
"Qian Li, what do you think made these marks?"
Qian Li placed her hand on the cliff, gently stroking the scratches. Some still had traces of liquid on them. Frowning, she brought her hand to her nose to sniff.
"This might be…"
Before she could finish, the entire canyon began to quake violently. Rocks rained down from the cliffs. Chu Ling realized something was wrong and rushed back to the convoy. Gu Jingbo and Gu Xiyan, startled by the tremors, emerged from their vehicles, and Chu Ling urgently shouted for them to flee.
"Get out of here now! Immediately!"
Gu Jingbo looked confused. "What's going on? An earthquake?"
"No time to explain! We have to get out of the canyon!"
The noise grew louder. Something massive was coming toward them at great speed. Shi Tuoyi immediately shielded Gu Jingbo, and the convoy's vehicles roared to life. But before they could escape, the creature appeared before them.
What emerged was a head—a grotesque, inverted head hanging in midair. A yellow crystal was embedded in the center of its forehead. The dull, bloodless face twisted into a smile upon spotting Chu Ling's group. With that eerie grin, its mouth stretched open, splitting its entire face apart. The head transformed into a gaping maw filled with countless jagged teeth.
The creature let out a piercing scream that reverberated through the canyon, leaving Chu Ling's ears ringing painfully. Behind the head, the body slithered into view—a wormlike form, slimy and clinging to the canyon walls. It spanned tens of meters, coiling between the cliffs. The body bristled with countless limbs—human arms and legs—moving spasmodically like the legs of a centipede.
The monstrous worm loomed overhead, a living nightmare.
Chu Ling had suspected as much. This was what the crawlers had feared—a B-ranked monster, the Desert Worm.
Gu Jingbo, terrified, began to flee. Shi Tuoyi hurriedly helped him into a vehicle, which sped forward. Chu Ling ordered A Hu and the others to leave first. The creature was too fast; someone had to stay behind to hold it off, or no one would make it out.
Gu Xiyan hadn't gotten into a car yet. She saw that Chu Ling had no intention of retreating and grabbed her sleeve. [What are you planning to do?]
Gu Xiyan already knew the answer—she'd heard Chu Ling's thoughts.
{Someone has to stop this thing, or Gu Xiyan won't get out alive. I can't let her be in danger!}
"Don't worry, Miss Gu. I'll be fine. I'll catch up soon…"
The monster roared again, lunging at them with its gaping maw. But before it could reach them, a giant figure formed from sand materialized out of nowhere. The towering, sand-formed giant seized the Desert Worm, halting its advance.
Liang Liang rushed over to pull Gu Xiyan. "Miss Gu, come with me. Your convoy has already left."
Gu Jingbo, having abandoned Gu Xiyan without a second thought, had fled in his vehicle. Though Gu Xiyan was reluctant to rely on Liang Liang, her car was the only one left. Before leaving, she grabbed Chu Ling's hand. Chu Ling was startled, unsure of her intent.
[You'll catch up to us, right?]
"Of course. Trust me."
Satisfied, Gu Xiyan placed a small, palm-sized Godslayer Mark 3 into Chu Ling's hand.
[I trust you]
Gu Xiyan then boarded Liang Liang's car. Watching them leave, Chu Ling turned her focus back to the monster. The Desert Worm was locked in combat with Qian Li's sand giant.
Qian Li stood beside Chu Ling, controlling the giant. "Any way to deal with this thing?"
"No, its armor is too thick."
The giant punched the worm's head, sending it crashing to the ground. The impact shook the canyon, almost toppling Chu Ling.
But the worm quickly coiled around the giant, its countless human limbs tearing at its sandy body. One of the giant's arms was bitten clean off, crumbling into sand. The other arm retaliated, grabbing the worm's head and slamming it into the canyon wall.
Rocks fell, but the worm remained unscathed. The blows were nothing more than an itch to it. As the giant began to collapse, Chu Ling shouted to Qian Li, "Throw me at it!"
Qian Li hesitated for only a moment before following the order. She summoned a sandy arm that hurled Chu Ling toward the monster.
In midair, Chu Ling landed on the giant's shoulder, mere centimeters from the worm's maw. The monster, enraged by her proximity, thrashed violently. Its gaping mouth, lined with bloody flesh and countless fangs, lunged at her, eager to devour.
"You're hungry? Eat this!"
Chu Ling hurled red crystals into the monster's mouth, tossing her entire stash inside. The giant began to crumble under the worm's assault.
As the giant collapsed, Chu Ling fell with it, narrowly avoiding the worm's snapping jaws. A second sand giant caught her mid-fall.
Qian Li had summoned another, smaller giant, which grabbed Chu Ling like a toy and started running. Perched on its shoulder, Qian Li kept her focus on controlling the creature.
The enraged worm, having missed its prey, gave chase, its countless human limbs scrambling like cockroach legs.
As they neared the canyon's exit, Chu Ling wondered why the crystals hadn't detonated yet. She raised the Godslayer Mark 3, aiming it at the worm's mouth.
"Has anyone ever told you how ugly you are?"
The worm, surprisingly wary, closed its mouth and revealed its inverted head again.
With a sharp crack, the bullet pierced the crystal embedded in its forehead. The worm's massive body convulsed as flames erupted from within, lighting up the night in a dazzling spectacle.
"Art is an explosion."