55: Chapter 55 Outrageous! Dad was hiding in a corner taking a dump, and he actually became the second-in-command of the Salvation Society?!
The sharp, mournful wail of the air raid siren pierced the sky over the entire Linhai City.
The torrential rain at the port suddenly stopped at this moment.
Saintess Lin Xinglan's motion of holding her scepter high froze in mid-air. She turned her head abruptly, her golden pupils locked tightly onto the direction of the Northern Reservoir.
That aura was too heavy.
It wasn't spiritual energy fluctuation, nor was it the standard warning of a Strange Tales descent. It was something that seeped out from the very foundation of space, something that made all high-level experts instinctively want to flee.
Rank suppression.
The few remaining Elders of the Saint Domain all spat out a mouthful of blood simultaneously. Their hand seals maintaining the magic array shattered instantly, and most of the golden runes floating in mid-air extinguished.
Saintess Lin Xinglan's destructive ultimate move was forcibly interrupted.
It wasn't that she stopped, but rather that thirty percent of the spiritual energy concentration over the entire port had been drained by that aura. With the magic array losing its sufficient supply of spiritual energy, the golden beam of light connecting heaven and earth began to flicker violently.
"Saintess! A suspected Abyss fluctuation above King-rank has been detected in the direction of the Northern Reservoir! Firmament Squad has lost contact!" The voice of an Arbiter exploded from the communication array.
Saintess Lin Xinglan's expression changed drastically.
She retracted her scepter, her cold gaze sweeping between Bai Cang and Night Owl below. She gritted her teeth until they clattered.
King-rank Abyss fluctuation. Firmament Squad lost contact.
The implication of these two pieces of information combined was only one—the strongest executor of the Great Xia might have already fallen, and a terrifying existence capable of destroying the entire Linhai City was awakening.
Entangle with these two insects, or go deal with the true world-ending crisis?
Saintess Lin Xinglan did not need to think.
"All personnel, evacuate the port! Target: Northern Reservoir!"
She took one last look at the two men below who were covered in injuries, leaving behind a sentence that was cold to the bone.
"Bai Cang, Night Owl. The Saint Domain will settle today's accounts with you one by one."
Golden light surged. Saintess Lin Xinglan, carrying the remaining Elders, transformed into a band of light spanning the sky and flew rapidly toward the north.
The port went silent instantly.
Only the sound of waves hitting the ruins remained, along with the lingering smell of burning in the air after the rain.
Su Jianguo's legs went weak, and he sat directly into the ankle-deep seawater.
He gasped heavily for air. The old injury on his lower back sent a sharp pain through him under the stimulation of the cold seawater, but he could no longer care about it.
He survived.
He raised his hand, tore off the heavy black iron mask, and smashed it hard into the water.
The splash from the mask hit his face, which was covered in dust and blood. The fifty-two-year-old legendary Monster Hunter now lay there like a dead fish washed ashore, motionless.
"Brother."
Su Chen's voice sounded from behind him.
Su Jianguo shuddered. He turned his head abruptly, staring fixedly at the man in the silver-white mask who was walking slowly toward him.
Su Chen took off his mask, revealing a young face in his early twenties.
His eye sockets were red, and there was blood at the corners of his mouth, but the light in his eyes was extremely fervent, revealing something that made Su Jianguo's scalp tingle.
Worship.
Heartfelt, unreserved worship and gratitude.
Su Chen walked up to Su Jianguo and squatted down.
He reached out and patted Su Jianguo's shoulder with great solemnity. The strength wasn't great, but the trust and reliance between brothers were all in that one pat.
"Thank you for your hard work today."
Su Chen's voice was a bit hoarse, with a thick nasal tone.
"I know you won't admit it out loud, but Big Brother saw everything you did today."
Su Jianguo's mouth twitched.
What choice? The only choice he made today was to hide behind a container and take a dump!
Su Chen took out an extremely exquisite silver-white medicine bottle from his bosom and stuffed it into Su Jianguo's hand.
"S-rank recovery potion. A globally limited item. Take it and go back to heal your injuries well."
Su Jianguo looked down at the medicine bottle in his hand. His expression was extremely complex.
He wanted to smash this thing on the other person's face.
But the medicine was truly good medicine.
He could smell that it contained at least two types of rare ingredients he had seen on the black market with eight-figure price tags.
Su Jianguo's hand slowly tightened, and he shoved the medicine bottle into his pocket.
Seeing this action, the look in Su Chen's eyes under the mask instantly brightened.
He knew it. Little Yun was tough on the outside but soft on the inside.
"I've cleared the retreat route for you. There is a culvert in the sewage system in the southwest direction that leads directly to the old city, and there are no surveillance cameras along the way." Su Chen stood up and put his mask back on.
He turned and walked toward the breakwater. The seawater automatically parted beneath his feet, revealing a dry path.
After walking a dozen steps, Su Chen stopped.
He didn't look back.
"I don't know when we'll meet next time." Su Chen's voice was drawn out long by the sea breeze.
"Take care, brother."
Su Jianguo sat in the water, watching that figure turn into a stream of water and merge silently into the sea.
The port was completely empty.
Su Jianguo sat alone in the center of the ruins, seawater soaking his butt, and the pain in his lower back made him gasp.
He remained silent for a long time.
Then, he raised his right hand extremely slowly, and with his calloused palm, covered his face heavily.
"My whole life..."
Su Jianguo's voice was muffled in his palms, carrying an extreme grievance that fifty-two years of life experience couldn't digest.
"I never want to see that little brat again."
He climbed up from the water and limped toward the sewer entrance Su Chen had mentioned.
After walking a few steps, he stopped. He looked back at the devastated port.
Thinking about it, he took out the medicine bottle from his pocket and looked at it.
Then he stuffed it back in.
Medicine shouldn't be wasted. This had nothing to do with that lunatic. It was purely because his lower back really hurt.
The sewer was pitch black, and the air was filled with a nauseating stench of decay.
Su Jianguo hunched his waist, walking unevenly through the sewage. With every step, a sharp pain shot from his lower back.
The communicator vibrated.
He took it out and looked; it was a message from the family group.
Lin Wanqing: "Old Su, what do you want to eat tonight?"
Su Jianguo stared at the screen for three seconds.
He typed two words: "Braised pork."
After thinking, he added: "Add more meat."
Then he turned off the communicator and continued walking in the darkness.
Meanwhile.
Linhai City, old city area.
Su Yun came down from the fire passage behind the reservoir and turned into an alley selling stinky tofu.
The air was filled with a fermented sour smell, mixed with the lingering echoes of the air raid siren in the distance.
He sat on a stone pier by the roadside and took out his phone.
There were three unread messages on the screen.
Lin Wanqing: "Son, what do you want to eat tonight?"
Su Yao: "Su Yun, where are you?! Why aren't you home?! Return my call!!!"
Su Qing: "Brother, thank you. The Investigation Bureau has lifted the wanted status on my friend."
Su Yun ignored these three.
He pulled up a number labeled "Big Cousin" and dialed it.
It rang twice.
Connected.
The background sound on the other end of the phone was extremely noisy. The sound of waves, metal shattering, and the lingering echoes of some large building collapsing.
"Little Yun?"
Su Chen's voice came through the receiver. His throat was extremely hoarse, as if he had been choked for half an hour and was barely holding on.
"Big Brother." Su Yun spoke, his tone flat, "Are you still alive?"
"Nonsense." Su Chen coughed twice, "When has your Big Brother ever let you down?"
"That's good. I've already finished dealing with the reservoir side."
The other side of the phone went quiet for a second.
"Finished dealing with it?" Su Chen's tone carried a hint of subtle hesitation, "Little Yun, you don't have to force yourself. There was indeed a big problem at the reservoir; even I felt that King-rank aura just now. That kind of thing is not something you can deal with right now."
Su Yun raised an eyebrow.
"No, Big Brother, what I said is the truth—"
"Alright, say no more." Su Chen interrupted him, his tone extremely gentle, as if comforting a child who didn't do well on an exam, "It doesn't matter if you didn't succeed this time. Such a big mess happened at the reservoir, and the official attention has all been attracted there. You don't have to worry about the investigation anymore."
Su Yun opened his mouth but didn't speak.
An extremely strange premonition began to form in his mind.
"Little Yun."
"Hmm?"
"I've always felt you were tough-mouthed. But Big Brother saw everything you did today."
Su Yun's brows furrowed.
"What did I do?"
"Stop pretending." Su Chen took a deep breath, his voice beginning to tremble, "After I was exposed at the port, that Saintess went all out. S-rank full-power Judgment Rain, full-coverage Holy Light bombardment. I was already prepared to sever my arm and retreat."
"And then?"
"Then you came."
Su Yun's fingers paused.
I came?
Wasn't I showing off at the reservoir?
"You manifested Black Flame and rushed directly in front of me, taking ninety percent of Saintess Lin Xinglan's firepower for me." Su Chen's voice became more excited as he spoke, "Do you know what that concept is? Holy Light washing the ground at the Saintess's full power! You held on for a full ten minutes! Your lower back was trembling, I saw it!"
Su Yun's expression went through an extremely complex three-stage change.
First second: Confusion.
Second second: Shock.
Third second: Enlightenment.
Black Flame. Lower back trembling.
Su Yun closed his eyes and pieced together the complete chain of events in his mind with extreme precision.
His dad, Su Jianguo, the legendary Monster Hunter Night Owl, ran away because he felt guilty about the city-wide investigation and hid in the port pretending to be dead.
His big brother, Su Chen, Salvation Society leader Bai Cang, got into a fight with the Saintess after being exposed at the port.
Then, Saintess Lin Xinglan's attack wave affected Su Jianguo, who was hiding in the corner.
Su Jianguo was forced to unleash Black Flame to protect himself.
Su Chen saw the Black Flame.
Su Chen thought Night Owl was Su Yun, and thought his little brother rushed over to block the blade for him.
So Su Chen tried his best to protect Su Jianguo.
Su Jianguo was forced to become Bai Cang's "own brother" while completely confused.
And Saintess Lin Xinglan witnessed the "life-and-death brotherhood" between Night Owl and Bai Cang.
Night Owl, from now on, officially became an accomplice of the Salvation Society.
Su Yun opened his eyes.
He stared at the call duration jumping on the phone screen, and a deeply complex emotion arose in his heart.
It was a deep, heartfelt sympathy for his biological father.
Dad, what kind of sins did you commit in this life?
"Little Yun? Why aren't you talking?" Su Chen's voice came from the receiver, "Are you hurt? Is your lower back still hurting? I left you a bottle of S-rank recovery potion, I'll give it to you when we meet."
Su Yun: "..."