Volume One: Awakening of the Dragon Soul Chapter 33: The Third Faction

"Arrogant!" Chen Anye raised his hand and fired a "Dazzle Grenade," but Dr. Bai only smiled and teleported out of the way in an instant.

"Rapid Strike!" Chen Anye launched several more micro-missiles from his heavy cannon, but Dr. Bai dodged them all once again.

"This can't be!" Chen Anye was starting to panic. None of his three skill attacks had hit their mark. Dr. Bai was toying with him like a cunning fox.

"Don't forget to take your medicine," Dr. Bai said with a chuckle. "How do you expect to land a hit on me without it?"

"I have no idea what you’re talking about!" Chen Anye fired another shell, but Dr. Bai dodged with ease, leaving the wall behind him cracked and splintered.

"One of the Seven Forbidden Drugs—the GUMI serum. It has the miraculous effect of boosting your power instantly. Isn't there a vial in your left pocket?" Dr. Bai pinched his own neck as he spoke.

"You! Who are you?" Chen Anye roared. "How do you know about these things?"

"If I wish to know, then I will," Dr. Bai replied with a smile. "Your accomplices aren't as tight-lipped as you. The school will eventually find out and send someone to arrest you."

"How about we make a deal?" Bai Kaishui narrowed his eyes.

"Nonsense! My accomplices would never betray me! Stop trying to drive a wedge between us!" Chen Anye shouted, launching more missiles. This time, Dr. Bai did not dodge. Instead, the missiles were intercepted mid-air, suspended before him.

"This is getting dull. Time to end the game." Bai Kaishui clapped his hands.

Crack—

The window shattered. Chen Anye had no time to react before an arrow pierced his body. Shock filled his eyes; his whole frame trembled before he collapsed to the floor.

"This... how is this possible?" Blood mingled with pale green granules trickled from Chen Anye’s mouth. He had never suspected there was someone outside the window.

"Three days ago, you snuck into the hospital archives to rummage through Mo Xing's personal file, but found nothing. Tonight, I invited Mo Xing here as a pretext, but in truth, I was hoping you'd show as well. You were eager enough to leap right into the trap," Bai Kaishui said, crouching down to look into Chen Anye’s terrified eyes.

"So I went along with it—after acquiring Mo Xing’s blood, I decided to have a little cat-and-mouse with you as well," Dr. Bai chuckled.

"You didn’t realize it, but when I asked you to help me close the curtains, it was for a reason. First, it was a signal for the archer lying in wait outside. Second, to lower your guard. And third—this one’s a bit amusing—our family’s archer is still training his accuracy," Dr. Bai explained, rising and moving to the window. He saluted the rainy night, and in the distance, the archer returned the gesture.

"Bullseye," Bai Kaishui said with a smile.

"A third party?" Mo Xing asked, puzzled.

"Yes, a third force," Zhang Zhihao replied. "Doesn’t it seem odd to you? How did you and I happen to meet at the Divine Armory Tower? More precisely, who led you there?"

Mo Xing suddenly felt as if waking from a dream—he hadn’t considered these connections at all. Why had he and Zhang Zhihao crossed paths at the tower? Who had brought him there?

"It was the man in black!" Mo Xing exclaimed. "After I had my blood drawn at the hospital, I spotted someone eavesdropping outside the door. I chased him all the way to the Divine Armory Tower, tripped near the entrance, and lost him."

"Afterward, I went inside and saw a single footprint on the stairs. Out of curiosity, I followed it up to the fourteenth floor, accidentally triggered a mechanism, and ended up in the lab where Senior Mian Hua was tied up. As I tried to rescue him, Li Qingchi caught me and showed no mercy. I was chased by those bugs, and then you showed up and saved me. You know everything that happened after that."

"Mm, just as I thought," Zhang Zhihao stretched his arms.

"Who are they, though? To infiltrate your operation so seamlessly?" Mo Xing pressed.

"Let me put it this way," Zhang Zhihao paused. "The Dark Sect, makers of forbidden drugs, are destroyers seeking power and domination; the just from Aslant are the angels of judgment, maintaining order. These two forces—light and darkness—oppose and restrain each other. But the third party—"

"They manipulate the struggle between black and white, controlling the entire board—ETERNITY."

"Wait, I understand the first two, but what is that last term?" Mo Xing scratched his head, lost in the jargon.

"You can think of them as the Eternal Ones, the Immortals. And now, they've set their sights on you," Zhang Zhihao said.

"What?" Mo Xing frowned. "I have no interest in being someone's pawn!"

"If you don’t want to be manipulated, then find a way to break free," Zhang Zhihao replied.

"By the way," Mo Xing said, "how do you know all this? Aren’t you one of the angels of judgment, maintaining order? You have to help me break out of this!"

"It took me a long time to piece everything together, and I’m not on the side of the angels of judgment," Zhang Zhihao shook his head.

"Then you must be one of the other two? But you don’t seem like a power-mad maniac or a scheming manipulator," Mo Xing said.

"Perhaps," Zhang Zhihao replied blandly. "Someday you’ll understand. The world isn’t simple—many things defy definition."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Mo Xing was more confused than ever.

"Enough. We’ve reached the hospital," Zhang Zhihao said, rising to his feet and helping the unconscious Mian Hua, "We can talk more another time. Let’s deal with the present first."

"Alright," Mo Xing agreed, rising as well and slinging Mian Hua’s other arm over his shoulder.

With the help of the medical staff, Mo Xing and Zhang Zhihao carried Mian Hua into the emergency room. Then, they made their way to Shiyan’s ward. The student council officers seated outside stood and saluted upon seeing President Zhang Zhihao. They reported that the campus security had recently searched the hospital for Dark Sect infiltrators—one was Chen Anye, who had since vanished, while the other two were apprehended.

Learning that Chen Anye was a spy astonished Mo Xing, but Zhang Zhihao remained calm, as if he had anticipated it all along.

Later, the doctor informed them that Shiyan’s condition had improved slightly, though she still needed to be observed for two more days.

It was now deep into the night. Since it was inconvenient for the officers to return to their dorms, Zhang Zhihao arranged with the hospital to provide a few resting rooms.

Eight people in total, three rooms, each with three beds. The student council officers took two rooms; the last was for Zhang Zhihao and Mo Xing.

"Don’t you want to rest, too?" Mo Xing yawned, lying in bed.

"I’ll read for a while before sleeping," Zhang Zhihao replied, sitting in a chair with a book in hand. A tea set rested on the table, a faint aroma of tea wafting through the room.

"Alright, I’ll sleep first," Mo Xing murmured, curling up under the covers.

"Good night," said Zhang Zhihao.

"Good night," Mo Xing replied, and soon, soft snores filled the room.

Zhang Zhihao turned his gaze to the window, looking out at the starry sky washed clean by the rain, and sipped his tea.