Proofreader&Editor: Howard Editor
"Auntie…" The moment Lin Qiye saw the caller ID, his body shuddered slightly.
The next instant, a vicious kick whizzed towards his face!
Lin Qiye ducked down like lightning, dodging the blow, and countered with a sweeping leg kick that slammed heavily into Scorpion One's ankle…
Scorpion One merely swayed slightly, as steady as a mountain.
"So tough!" Lin Qiye cursed under his breath, his Starblade suddenly blocking the folding knife, but the terrifying force transmitted through the blade still sent him flying!
Struggling to stabilize himself in the snow, his phone was shaken from his grasp, landing in the snow beside him.
"🎵Oh~ cute little Smurfs~ oh~ cute little Smurfs~🎵"
Scorpion One glanced at the phone in the snow and sneered:
"A call from family? Is it that woman? Or the kid?"
Lin Qiye slowly stood up, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, a cold murderous intent surfacing in his dark eyes.
Scorpion One, unfazed by Lin Qiye's gaze, shrugged his shoulders and continued:
"Right… it's New Year's Eve, probably asking how you're doing outside? Whether you've prepared for the reunion dinner? Then they'll tell you that everything is fine with them…
Heh heh…"
Before Scorpion One could finish, Lin Qiye's figure dashed across the snowy ground, his blades crossing and fluttering like butterflies, the pale blue edge aiming straight for his neck!
Scorpion One blocked several of Lin Qiye's strikes in succession, growling as his powerful qi surged, multiplying his strength and sending Lin Qiye flying again!
Lin Qiye adjusted his posture mid-air and landed heavily, his single blade plunged into the snow to steady himself.
In fact, with Lin Qiye's terrifying dynamic vision, the speed difference between them wasn't irreconcilable, but the huge gap in strength always left him at a disadvantage.
If this continued, there was no way to defeat Scorpion One; there had to be another way…
Lin Qiye watched Scorpion One, his thoughts racing like lightning.
"What a warm family…" Scorpion One, holding his folding knife, walked unhurriedly towards Lin Qiye, "I bet they have no idea what you're doing, how close yet unreachable you are…
How could they, immersed in New Year's joy, imagine that you're fighting to the death so close to them?
Ah, right…
After I kill you, I'll hang your head outside their balcony. When the New Year's bells ring, they'll surely get a fright, won't they?"
Scorpion One's smile grew more ferocious!
Lin Qiye gripped the hilt of his blade tightly, suppressing the tumultuous qi in his chest, and staggered up from the snow, the darkness around him flickering in and out of sight…
After fighting the Mad Scorpion squad for so long, the duration of the Divine Ruin was almost up, and his psychic power was nearing its limit. If he couldn't resolve the fight soon, he was certain to die!
"🎵In the mountains and seas, there's a group of Smurfs🎵…"
The cheerful ringtone still echoed in the snow, now on its second loop, and it seemed Auntie had no intention of hanging up.
Lin Qiye took a deep breath, the darkness in his eyes resurfacing, and the surrounding Divine Ruin stabilized once more.
Whoosh—!
He violently pulled the Starblade from the snow, the blades angled towards the ground as he closed in on Scorpion One like a bolt of lightning!
"The last gasp." Scorpion One sneered, readying his combat stance again.
Lin Qiye's figure rapidly approached Scorpion One, and just as their bodies were about to collide, Lin Qiye took a forceful step, deeply imprinting the snow.
Boom—!
Under the effect of the Divine Ruin, the snow beneath their feet exploded like a buried bomb, blasting a white mass into the air!
The drifting snowflakes momentarily blinded Scorpion One, who, relying on years of combat experience, quickly reacted!
Clang—!
His folding knife swung out without hesitation, blocking the strike from Lin Qiye at his side. Seeing Lin Qiye's figure exposed, Scorpion One's lips curled into a smile as if to say, "I knew you'd play it this way."
But then, he couldn't smile anymore.
Among the drifting snowflakes, Lin Qiye's blade struck Scorpion One's folding knife, and his other hand… was empty.
Where was the other blade!?
This thought flashed through Scorpion One's mind, a strong sense of crisis surging in his heart. Just as he was about to act, Lin Qiye's eyes once again burst with brilliant golden light!
The might of the Seraph crossed the Void, pouring directly into Scorpion One's mind, turning it upside down and halting his movements for a second.
Lin Qiye, having overdrawn his psychic power, grunted, his face pale as he fell backward.
At the same time, his left hand made a light gesture…
Zhao Kongcheng's Starblade, cutting through the drifting snowflakes, silently entered Scorpion One's neck from behind, effortlessly decapitating him…
Blood gushed like a fountain!
Lin Qiye stumbled and fell in the snow, Zhao Kongcheng's blade landing beside him, its surface reflecting his face and the slight upward curve of his lips.
"I won…" Lin Qiye looked at Scorpion One, lying dead in the snow, gasping for air.
His psychic power was completely drained.
This desperate counter-kill against Scorpion One was too perilous; any miscalculation or misstep by Lin Qiye would have been catastrophic.
Fortunately, he won.
"🎵Oh~ cute little Smurfs~ oh~ cute little Smurfs~🎵"
The phone's ringtone, silent for a long while, sounded again. Lin Qiye struggled to his feet, supporting his body with the blade, and staggered over to pick up the phone from the snow.
Then he reached over Scorpion One's body, took a silver dog tag, and pocketed it.
"Hello, Auntie."
"You child! I've been calling you for so long, and you didn't answer! What are you doing? Have you been outside so long that you don't need your auntie anymore?"
A series of familiar voices came from the other end of the phone, anxious in tone.
Lin Qiye's lips curled slightly as he dragged his blood-soaked blade, walking over the bodies, each step leaving a crimson footprint in the snow.
"Auntie, I was just chatting with a comrade and didn't see the phone," he said softly.
"You child… Can't you call home on your own during the New Year?"
"I was planning to call tonight…"
"Planning, planning… Hmph." Auntie paused, her voice gradually softening, "How's it going in the army? Are you okay?"
Lin Qiye wiped the blood from his face and walked to a corner of the corridor, looking out the window at the small building. From here, he could clearly see Auntie on the balcony, talking on the phone.
His hand holding the phone trembled slightly, and after a long while, he spoke gently:
"I'm doing well, everything's fine."
"New Year's is coming. Does your unit have a reunion dinner?"
"Yes, our captain is preparing it. I can eat when I go back."
"Go back? Are you outside?"
"…No, I mean, we can eat when we return to the canteen."
"Oh…" Auntie's voice paused for a moment, then continued, "Well, you should eat more…"
Lin Qiye sensed something off in Auntie's emotions and took the initiative:
"Auntie, even though I'm not home this year, you should still have a lavish reunion dinner."
"Of course, don't worry. I'm stewing fish right now, it smells delicious, and there's pork too… but since you're not home, we might not finish it all."
"Jin needs to grow, you should let him eat more."
"Mm, right, do you want to talk to your brother?"
"Sure."
On the balcony, Auntie quietly wiped away tears, turned, and went inside, handing the phone to Yang Jin.
"Hey, bro."
"Jin, you haven't been clumsy while I'm not there, have you?"
"Of course not, bro, why do you ask?"
"…No reason, just asking."
"Bro, how's life over there?"
"It's good, don't worry."
"If it's too tiring, it's okay to come back. If the sky falls, there will always be tall people to hold it up."
Lin Qiye fell silent for a moment, then hummed in response.
The two brothers held the phone for a long time, neither speaking…
"Eh, you kid, have you become estranged from your brother after being away for so long?" Seeing them silent, Auntie simply took the phone back,
"Little Qi, I'm not going to talk to you anymore, my fish is ready, I need to go take it out."
"Okay, Auntie."
"Mm…"
"Auntie!"
"Mm?"
Lin Qiye stood in the corner of the corridor, watching the busy figure, and after a long while, he smiled and said:
"Happy New Year!"
"Mm, Happy New Year!"
Proofreader: Today happens to be the 1st day of the Chinese New Year. I wish all readers a Happy New Year, good health, and all your wishes come true.
Gong Xi Fa Cai !