Chapter 1868 - 1867: Witch Sect and Kovotra

"Big brother, what’s happening outside?" The little boy hiding in the corner lifted his head and looked at Anke.

"Nothing much, just a bit of chaos," Anke glanced at the little boy, then at the handgun the boy was gripping tightly, the safety not even turned on. "Where did you get that gun?"

"Just now, when you were driving, I took it from your pocket." The little boy held the gun tightly, his body shrinking slightly, earnestly watching Anke.

Anke immediately reached for his pant pocket and indeed discovered a handgun missing.

He had just searched two handguns from two drivers, one hung in the gun holster, and the other was tucked in his pocket.

The one the boy was holding was the one he put in his pocket.

"This thing is very dangerous, don’t play with it recklessly," Anke shook his head, took the gun from the boy’s hand, ensured the safety was on and the chamber was empty, and then removed the magazine, handing both the gun and clip back. "Keep these separated and remember to give them to your father later."

The boy quickly stored away the gun, tucked the magazine into his clothes, and nodded, "Uh-huh!"

"Big brother, should we run?" The little girl next to them leaned over and whispered.

"Let’s wait for a bit." Anke shook his head, his eyes fixed on the scene outside the window.

When the dust rose, Anke could no longer see what was happening outside.

Only the thick stench of blood faintly filled the surrounding space.

He lowered his voice and asked softly, "Old man, what should we do now?"

"Wait." The aged voice murmured in his ear.

Anke subdued the tension in his heart, placed his hands on the steering wheel, and quietly awaited.

At that moment, a dull thud rang out from outside the window.

A mechanical body flew across the sky, crashing into the ground not far away.

It was the mercenary captain just now.

A sharp spear pierced through his body from behind, the immense impact tearing open his entire back.

The gleaming bionic skin was utterly torn apart, with crackling electricity flowing from the exposed mechanics underneath.

The mechanical captain struggled to lift his head, seeing Anke peeking from the driver’s seat.

He slightly opened his mouth, trying to say something, when sharp metallic high-heeled shoes descended from above, stomping on him, crushing half of his body.

The twin-tailed girl landed on the ground, pulled out the spear impaled in the mercenary captain, and snorted coldly, "Think you can run, can you?"

"You—why—"

The mercenary captain opened his mouth, his raspy mechanical voice echoing under the dim sky.

But before he could finish speaking, the slender mechanical spear jabbed downward, piercing through his neck and mechanical skull.

His eyes widened, with the red glow in the blue pupils constantly flickering with error codes.

The world seemed to fall silent at this moment, with everything around quiet.

Only the sizzling, sharp sound as the girl extracted the mechanical spear from the mechanical skull broke the silence.

The surrounding dust gradually dispersed, and what fell into Anke’s eyes was a field of corpses.

Those fully armed mercenaries lay scattered on the ground in various positions, only the gushing blood soaking the wilderness soil.

The wind over the wasteland swept through the girl’s long twin tails and across her blood-covered body, violet-red blood seeping from her faint wounds.

She slightly lifted her head, the violet glow flickering in her pupils, "I—I—why—"

"Go out." It was at this time the aged voice echoed in Anke’s ear.

"Huh?" Anke was slightly taken aback, "Now?"

"Yes." He Ao calmly stated.

Upon hearing He Ao’s words, Anke lifted his head, glanced at the blood-soaked girl, swallowed hard, pushed the car door open, and slowly exited.

This action, naturally, drew the girl’s attention, as she stood in the blood-soaked soil, lifting her head to look at him.

The faint violet light completely covered her pupils.

She gazed at Anke, with blood streaming down her body, and the air thick with the scent of blood.

Anke looked at her, unsure of what to say, could only awkwardly smile.

But at this moment, it was as if the girl woke from a dream, staring at him, hoarsely asking, "What did you—do to me?"

"What?" Anke was slightly stunned, momentarily unsure of what to say.

But it was clear that the sudden ’frenzy’ of the girl wasn’t coincidental.

And the person capable of causing all this was very apparent.

"Old man," Anke lowered his voice, quickly asking, "What did you do to her?"

"Slightly influenced her perception," the aged voice calmly replied in Anke’s ear, "But, I suggest you run now, away from the vehicle, as far as you can."

"Huh?!" Anke was taken aback once more.

But this time, he didn’t hesitate, immediately darting off.

The blood-soaked girl saw his movement, momentarily startled, then lifted her spear, "You can’t escape!"

Thud—

The spear tore through the air, racing towards Anke.

Simultaneously, the violet glow spread from her pupils, enveloping her entire body, as if activating some hidden power, her might increased at an apparent speed.

In the blink of an eye, the momentum suffocated anyone nearby.

And at this moment, she took a step forward, lunging towards Anke’s body like an illusion.

Her speed was so swift, even faster than the spear in the sky.

"Stop!" At that instant, the aged voice echoed in Anke’s ear.

Anke immediately halted his steps, his body slightly off balance from the momentum, leaning forward.

But the girl’s movements were much quicker than his, as she was already in front of him, reaching for his forward-leaning body, aiming for his head.

Anke had no doubts that, like squeezing a watermelon, she could crush his head.

But at this moment, he had no way to think of a solution, and with his physical fitness, he couldn’t react or resist.

He didn’t even have time to think.

Thud—

At that moment, a whistling sound echoed above Anke’s head.

The sharp metallic spear almost grazed Anke’s scalp, instantly piercing through the girl’s body, lifting her whole body up, slamming into a massive rock behind her.

Thud—

The rock shattered upon impact, the spear continuing forward, embedding into the muddy ground.

The girl stared wide-eyed, somewhat lost, at the front, blood continuously gushing from her mouth, her body convulsing violently, seemingly a backlash from some overconsumed power, rapidly consuming her body.

"Huh?" At this moment, Anke was still somewhat unresponsive. He looked up to see this scene, the spear pinning the girl’s body, "Did she kill herself?"

He witnessed the scene, feeling deeply shocked.

He had considered the old man might use some method to repel this girl, but hadn’t expected such an outcome.

"Old man, how did you do it?" His voice trembled, carrying a tinge of profound fear.

It was a fear stemming from the incomprehensible.

"She chose this fate herself," He Ao’s calm and aged voice sounded in Anke’s ear. "Go, ask her a few questions."

Upon hearing this, Anke paused again, "Is this... okay?"

He clearly recognized the gap between himself and the girl.

"It’s fine," He Ao said calmly, "She overexerted some kind of grace’s power, and now that grace is reclaiming its ’price’. She’s dying under such conditions."

Though Anke didn’t understand what He Ao was talking about, he clearly grasped the last sentence.

He quickly ran forward, stopping before the girl pinned to the ground.

"Ask her, why did she seek the coffin, what did Kovotra experience back then? Why is the Witch Sect involved in this matter?" He Ao’s calm voice sounded in Anke’s ear.

Anke lowered his head, looked at the girl, and repeated He Ao’s words.

Upon hearing the question, the girl looked up at Anke, her lips parted slightly, then her lip curled into a mocking smile, "Don’t—know—"

Her life was fading quickly; she indeed was dying.

He Ao: "Ask her, where’s her floating warplane?"

Anke repeated the words once more.

This time, the girl’s mouth opened, yet she couldn’t utter a word.

"Do you have any questions of your own?" He Ao asked gently.

This question surprised Anke slightly; he lowered his head, looking at the girl in front of him.

He knew the girl in front of him wouldn’t answer anything.

But he hesitated and still asked, "Why did you capture so many K believers and transport them to Ilotan?"

The girl raised her head, glancing at him, her mouth opened slightly as if to say something, but no sound came out, seemingly mocking why Anke would ask such a question.

But at that moment, she seemed to finally realize something, her eyes widened, gazing at Anke, gazing beyond him, as if seeing another pair of eyes standing behind Anke, watching her.

She opened her mouth, trying to say something, but had no strength left.

Ultimately, her body went completely still, her life completely lost.

Then, her flesh started decaying at a visible rate, ultimately disintegrating into dust, leaving only drifting clothes, stockings, and a transparent crystal key card.

Anke stood there dumbfounded, having seen much blood flesh on the battlefield, but was witnessing such a bizarre and magical scene for the first time.

"Did she..." He stepped back slightly, trembling, asking.

"She’s dead, the being who granted her power reclaimed her strength and flesh," He Ao’s peaceful voice echoed.

From the beginning, there was some invisible high-level force protecting the girl’s soul, and obviously, the girl had undergone anti-mind reading training, making it hard for He Ao in the Coffin of Time to directly sense the girl’s consciousness.

Only when she’d consumed that high-level force and was gravely injured near death, could He Ao naturally explore her thoughts.

"So the questions we asked," Anke said with some helplessness, "seem like we got no answers."

"She did answer," He Ao replied casually, "You just didn’t hear."

"Huh?!!" Anke was stunned once again.

He felt like he’d become a creature that only knows how to express surprise with ah’s.

"So," he asked curiously, "what’s the answer to my question?"

"They plan to send K believers from nearby cities to Ilotan, then conduct some kind of one-time sacrifice, converting them into some easily operable grace item," He Ao said casually.

"Really?" Anke was a bit confused, "Did she say so many words? Old man, is it your speculation or did she say it?"

"What do you think?" He Ao casually counter-questioned.

"Then what about the floating warplane’s location?" Anke pondered and asked.

"Lift your head, turn 45 degrees," He Ao’s old voice echoed, "See that hill? It’s on that hill. Look through those clothes; there’s a key card inside, for the floating warplane."

Anke raised his sight, looking where He Ao pointed, and there indeed was a hill.

"Really?" Anke scratched his head, turned back, and found a crystal key card among the pile of clothes pierced by the spear.

In the end, he stopped pondering the issue, shaking his head, shifted his view to the distant truck.

He quickly ran back, first climbing onto the truck’s roof, putting the money the girl had taken back into the bag.

Then he climbed down, brought out the three kids from the driver’s cabin. The three stood at the truck’s side corner, and Anke once again opened the truck’s compartment door.

As sunlight hit inside the compartment again, Anke faced a bunch of wary-faced people.

But soon, they saw the man standing outside and relaxed their tense expressions.

"What happened?" The man near the door asked softly.

"Such a heavy stench." A few people near the door simultaneously covered their noses.

At that point, people saw what was behind Anke.

Haphazardly parked SUV, scattered mercenary bodies, and muddied crimson blood.

"These mercenaries have guns," Anke glanced at them, saving explanations, said casually, "If you need weapons, you can grab them yourself. Wherever you’re heading, you’d better leave soon. The corpses and blood will attract exotic beasts. If you leave a bit late, you probably won’t make it."

With that said, he turned his head, waved to the kids hiding at the side.

The three kids were led cautiously out by the small boy.

"Mom!" "Dad!" Quickly, the girl behind the small boy saw the woman in the compartment, hurried over.

"Dad!" "Mom!" Another little girl found her parents too.

Only the boy with a gun at his waist was vigilantly scanning the people, finally relaxed after spotting a man deep in the compartment.

But he held a stern little face still, turned his head to Anke, "Thank you, big brother!"

"No need to thank," Anke looked at the boy, smiled, "Remember to give your gun to your dad."

Hearing this, the boy was slightly stunned, in the end, somewhat reluctantly nodded saying, "Okay!"

After speaking, Anke didn’t say more and instead turned around, heading towards an SUV.

"He’s kind of cool," a figure in the crowd couldn’t help saying.

Anke said nothing more, just got into an SUV, turned the key in it, started the vehicle, and under the sunlight, drove into the wilderness.

"Didn’t you take two guns to trade for money?" He Ao asked softly at this time.

"Damn!" Anke suddenly widened his eyes, slammed on the brakes.