Against the Fate

Chapter 6: Rescue

Big Guy pulled Xiao Jiang up. Looking around, he asked, “What do we do now? How do we do it? What is this?”

Cui Ming saw the giant worm standing proudly, giving the three of them a look full of despise, so he stepped back. “I don’t know, I guess… No, I am sure we can’t beat it. We should turn back and run.”

The three turned around and bolted. Cui Ming started throwing poker cards at the big worms, eradicating them one by one, and abruptly managed to open a way. This time, the huge worm opened his mouth and spat a stream of venom. Seeing this, Xiao Jiang immediately pushed away Cui Ming, who was running side by side with him. Big Guy came from behind and jumped between the two, so the venom hit his shoulder. A green liquid shot through his body, then fell on the sand. Under inertia, his body went forward a few steps then fell motionlessly to the ground, a rancid-smelling gas coming from the wound.

“Cui Ming, you run ahead! Leave me, I won’t make it!” Xiao Jiang’s words came from the left.

Cui Ming climbed up and turned around just in time to see venom splash in Xiao Jiang’s face. Piece by piece of flesh, his face was coming apart, looking utterly terrifying. Xiao Jiang pulled out a screwdriver and faced the worms. “Me and you, we fight.”

Cui Ming watched Xiao Jiang as he clashed with the worms, watched as the one of the worms bit Xiao Jiang’s head and watched as Xiao Jiang’s screwdriver kept stabbing despite that…

Cui Ming’s hand swung, slashing that worm to death on the spot. Xiao Jiang kneeled, his left hand stretched out with a thumb up, then fell together with the worm on the sand. Cui Ming looked at his comrade one last time, grinded his teeth, then turned and ran. At that moment the giant worm finally moved, seeming to know that if it didn’t act, the younger ones would be unable to stop Cui Ming. The huge worm quickly gave chase with its great speed.

God, please give me a good card! Cui Ming’s left hand opened, numerous cards appearing and disappearing in a few moments. Cui Ming folded two fingers, his heart sinking when he saw the card—a waste card! His panicking thoughts made his heart unstable, which in turn scattered his focus. He was done for…

Cui Ming had seen a lot of animals in his life, but no kind of animal could compare with this giant worm in speed, not even a cheetah. The huge worm was quickly catching up with Cui Ming. Finally, thinking about it no longer mattered, Cui Ming turned around and stopped running. Like magic, a poker deck appeared in his right hand, his index finger swiped and the poker cards unfolded like a fan. Cui Ming’s right hand swung, dozens of red-glowing cards flying at the giant worm and exploding on its body. Just like tiny plum blossoms, drops of the huge worm’s green blood splashed on the ground.

The giant worm’s speed slowed down a bit, but in an instant it channeled out an even more vicious speed and opened its huge mouth, trying to swallow Cui Ming. Seeing the helpless Cui Ming, a figure suddenly appeared, one hand clinging to Cui Ming’s waist, its legs flexed, and it flew ten meters high to avoid the worm’s maw.

At that moment, as if time stood still, Cui Ming turned sideways to see North Luna, her silk hair floating in the wind, eyes like stars, as beautiful as a goddess. A few strands of hair swept across Cui Ming’s face. He felt as if he were in a dream, and could not help but bring his face toward her lips. When he was about to touch them, his body suddenly sank and North Luna released him, her feet trampling on Cui Ming’s body to get momentum. She turned to face the giant worm while Cui Ming fell into the sand dune like a bomb shell.

In the short time when he was falling, Cui Ming saw North Luna open the bag she always carried around with her. Four odd-shaped blades flew in the air, one by one slashing at the giant worm. Once North Luna fell on the ground, the four blades bounced back in the air, combining into a four-edged sword to meet her. This giant white sword was shining, and with its form of an X-shaped pair of scissors it rotated like a windmill. North Luna’s right hand now held the sword handle, her blade back in its original shape. Borrowing the fall’s inertia for cutting into the giant worm’s body, she managed to make the worm fly tens of meters away, green blood spilling along the way.

With the successful blow, the four blades in North Luna’s hand spun like a windmill as she stepped and used the shock wave to propel herself toward the giant worm, in no way slower than her opponent. With the right timing she fell on her right knee while kicking with her left foot and vertically leapt on top of the giant worm. The huge sword turned back into four blades, beheading the giant worm, then once again reverted into its original shape. North Luna caught the sword and fell into a vertical jump, cutting through the giant worm.

“Stay close to it, do not let it pull away!” a voice yelled from the side. Ding Ze had come. His voice came from somewhere in the sand dunes. A light flashed and he instantly appeared thirty meters away from the giant worm. His right hand threw a lightning out from the wrist, hit the side of the giant worm’s body. A big wound suddenly blasted open on its body, flesh and blood spewing out of it. The giant worm rushed toward Ding Ze with a howl. Holding the big sword with two hands, North Luna leapt again and chopped at its body, the giant worm was once again sent flying dozens of meters out. She took advantage of the situation and rushed ahead. Her four blades flew out, she jumped and landed another heavy blow.

Ding Ze always kept a distance, his energy lightning bombardment making the giant worm wish for death.

Once again hit by a heavy blow, the giant worm burrowed into the sand dune. Once the dust settled, the worm was nowhere in sight. North Luna fell on one knee, her right hand constantly spinning the giant sword. Her eyes stared at the sand, quietly waiting. It seemed that the giant worm had already disappeared without a trace. Ding Ze’s body flashed and, in a blink of an eye, he arrived by Luna’s side, saying: “It ran away.”

North Luna stood up, looked for a while, then turned around. In her hands, the giant sword previously split into four blades now came together. She went toward Cui Ming to recover the bag, wrapped it around the blades, made a knot and put it back on.

Cui Ming opened his eyes, his chest suddenly feeling pain. He barfed out a mouthful of blood, then started continuously coughing. He saw Ding Ze and North Luna standing at his side. North Luna asked, “Why are you vomiting blood?”

“Why am I vomiting blood?” It was a very good question, someone really had to write it down, for never would a joke be so cold. Big sister, your foot kicked me then I fell from more than ten meters high, and you’re asking me why I’m vomiting blood? Had I not been lucky, I might now be spitting a fragment of my liver or stomach for you to look at. Hey, don’t try to be innocent, the one who kicked me was you, yes, you… But Cui Ming did not have the strength to speak, by how much pain he felt, he estimated that all his ribs were now broken… Why am I vomiting blood? Cui Ming could not help but squeeze a tear.

Watching Cui Ming, Ding Ze said, “He is a savage.”

“Oh?” North Luna was quite surprised, then observed Cui Ming for a while. The latter was now in a coma.

North Luna seized Cui Ming’s clothes, set him on her shoulder and carried him back to the camp. “Let me do it,” offered Ding Ze.

“No.” North Luna stopped to annalyse the surroundings. Because the leader had retreated, the other worms had also disappeared without a trace. The ground was now littered with bodies wearing prisoners’ and security officers’ uniforms. “Let them be buried,” she said.

“So much trouble, let dust turn to dust, soil turn to soil…”

North Luna did not look back, saying, “The dead are most important.”

“Well, I know,” Ding Ze helplessly answered.