Volume One: Awakening of the Dragon Soul Chapter 69: Emergency! Forced Landing! (Part Two)

As soon as Zhang Zhihao spoke, a wave of discussion swept through the crowd.

“President Zhang, your abilities are impressive, but isn’t this a bit of a stretch?” someone questioned.

“Hey! How can you say that? Shouldn’t we be united in times like this, working together to overcome the crisis?” another retorted.

“You all keep clinging to each other! I’m activating Dragon God Wings and getting out of here, goodbye!”

“Hurry up and leave, with such unstable air currents up there, may you lose yourself in the skies.”

Hovering in midair, Zhang Zhihao watched these scenes unfold, a rush of thoughts flooding his mind. He smiled to himself, unfurled his crimson Dragon God Wings, and soared out of the hall.

“My goodness, what are people panicking about?” Wu Danze shouted, staring at the crowd jammed at the entrance.

“This side is way too crowded! Let’s head to the other door!” Mo Xing suggested, pointing at a distant doorway.

“Alright, but we need to hurry,” Shi Yan said, her brows knitted in concern.

The trio dashed toward the other door, running all the way to the deck outside the restaurant.

“Which way to the engine room?” Wu Danze finally remembered to ask.

“Your storage wristbands and rings have built-in map functions,” Shi Yan explained. “Just report your location, and you’ll know the direction.”

“Huh? There’s such a feature?” Mo Xing quickly fiddled with his Titan Ring; he’d thought it was just for storing items, never imagining it also had navigation!

“It really does!”

Wu Danze’s storage ring projected a blue-white glow—a model of the Divine Ark! Several stars twinkled on the model, connected by a thick, deep blue line.

It was the optimal route provided by the system!

“Time is short, let’s move,” Shi Yan said, turning to unleash Shadowstep and hurried off in her own direction.

Mo Xing was surprised; in action, Shi Yan looked more like a female agent than her usual pure and gentle self.

“Let’s go!” Wu Danze summoned gold elements, forming two sturdy metal arms to grab the railing, then leaped down to land on the deck below.

“Wait… where should I go?” Mo Xing watched the two run off in different directions, feeling a little lost.

He frowned, recalling Zhang Zhihao’s words before leaving: “Assess the situation, adapt as needed.”

Exactly! He should judge for himself, make his own choice!

He began to review the events of the past few hours: Ai Ji was poisoned… Gou Ge’s argument… Dr. Bai’s smile… the engine room fuel cut off… and the accidental intrusion of Xiao Ming…

Wait! That intruder Xiao Ming! The Divine Ark’s protective shield was formidable, and Xiao Ming had no weapons. Surrounded by senior brothers, he only responded with a barrage of words, never fighting back.

He had also appeared at the sewer casino earlier—twice coincidentally meeting Mo Xing as an unremarkable passerby. It felt suspiciously premeditated!

“Navigate! Route to Xiao Ming’s room!” Mo Xing commanded his Titan Ring.

The Titan Ring displayed: “Description too vague, cannot locate!”

“Uh, that’s a bit abstract… Let’s try searching for rooms on the third floor!” Mo Xing scratched his head, recalling that Mentor Su Yunzhou had told the senior brothers to lock Xiao Ming on the third floor.

“Route successfully parsed—”

Small text and a zigzag path appeared on the blue screen—the way to the third floor!

Elsewhere, Zhang Zhihao, relying on his Dragon God Wings, soared through the airspace outside the Divine Ark.

The engine room fuel would run out in eight minutes; if repairs couldn’t be made in time, the contingency plan would have to be activated. He needed to locate the optimal release point.

Mo Xing rushed to the third floor, knocking on each room door, but received no response—all empty.

Just as he was about to move to the next room, a shout erupted from within.

“Hey, brother outside! Are you still there?”

“Open the door and save me! I’m Xiao Ming!”

“How can you leave me to die in a situation like this?”

“If I perish, I’ll haunt you forever!”

“Scared yet? Hurry up and save me!”

There was no mistaking it; Xiao Ming was a chatterbox.

Mo Xing strode forward, noticing a key conveniently hanging from the handle. He hesitated, but, drowned out by Xiao Ming’s ramblings, unlocked the door.

Inside, Xiao Ming was bound tightly with rope, unable to move.

“Ah? Someone finally came!” Hearing the door open, Xiao Ming lifted his head.

“Hey, it’s you!”

“I knew you’d come, brother!”

“Unlike those dogs who leave people to die!”

“I nearly screamed myself hoarse!”

“Thank goodness you showed up, brother!”

“Alright, enough,” Mo Xing frowned, his gaze landing on the rope, “It’s just an ordinary rope. Why not use your Dragon God Power to break free? Why all the shouting?”

“I’m just a regular guy, how would I know any Dragon God Power? If I could run, I’d have done so already—no need for all this yelling!” Xiao Ming tried to shrug, but the rope held him back, leaving him visibly uncomfortable.

“Is that really so?” Mo Xing asked, doubt in his voice, as he summoned water elements to form an ice blade.

“B-big bro, I swear I’m telling the truth! And please, let’s talk this out, don’t do anything rash! My life isn’t worth much!” Xiao Ming quivered at the sight of the blade.

“Whoosh—”

Mo Xing flung the ice blade; Xiao Ming squeezed his eyes shut. The blade sliced through the rope, forming a graceful arc under Mo Xing’s control.

“Alright, let’s go,” Mo Xing said.

“Huh? I’m still alive?” Xiao Ming slowly opened his eyes, discovering the rope in pieces—he could move his arms and legs again!

“Thank you, benefactor!”

“I thank you on behalf of my whole family!”

“I thank you on behalf of Phantom Violet Academy!”

“I thank you—”

“Enough. If we don’t leave now, it’ll be too late!” Mo Xing glanced at Xiao Ming, then dashed out.

He had acted out of kindness, but remained vigilant—after all, the stranger’s identity was uncertain, and a sneak attack could happen at any moment.

“Brother, don’t leave me behind!” Xiao Ming scrambled to his feet and chased after him.

Engine room.

When Wu Danze arrived, he found the security door wide open, yet the room was empty.

He glanced around, noticing that the fuel transfer hub in the corner had been sabotaged. Fuel poured down like a waterfall, flooding the floor, while the only dry spot was dirtied by several footprints.

Wu Danze approached the fuel hub, releasing gold elements to slowly seal the breaches.

As a gunsmith specializing in gold attributes, he was skilled at repairing machinery.

“Beep—”

Suddenly, his storage wristband beeped. Wu Danze frowned and tapped it. A blue screen appeared, showing a familiar figure.

“Huh? I just tapped it carefully, and didn’t expect the ring to have video call capabilities,” Mo Xing’s voice came from the other side.

“Uh, I’m already in the engine room, repairing the fuel hub,” Wu Danze replied, placing his hand at another breach, steadily closing it with gold elements.

“Are you alone? By the way, how does such a massive Divine Ark not have engineers?” Mo Xing wondered.

“I’m curious myself. When I arrived, the door was open, there were footprints on the floor. Maybe the engineers thought the Divine Ark was beyond saving and abandoned repairs,” Wu Danze sighed, intensifying his efforts.

“Need me to come help?” Mo Xing asked.

“No need, I’ve got it covered,” Wu Danze shook his head. “Let’s stop chatting, there are some spots that need my focus.”

“Alright.” Mo Xing ended the call.

Wu Danze summoned a High-altitude Flyer, hovering in the engine room’s upper space to inspect leaks and damaged wiring.

“Wow, both the hot and ground wires are severed,” Wu Danze shook his head, releasing some repair tools from his wristband to fix the lines, muttering, “Five minutes left… should be enough.”

He concentrated on his repairs, unaware that a figure was stealthily approaching the door, gun in hand.

Elsewhere.

Following the ring’s navigation, Mo Xing rushed toward Shi Yan’s location in the broadcast room.

He had inadvertently activated the ring’s call feature earlier. Unable to reach anyone else, he’d connected with Wu Danze, exchanged a few words, and then ended the call.

After all, time was of the essence—they all needed to focus on the most important task: saving the Divine Ark!

It was odd—Mentor Su Yunzhou had the Soundfield ability to control voice transmission and volume. Why had Zhang Zhihao arranged for Shi Yan to be in the broadcast room?

Also, why did Mentor Su Yunzhou fall silent after announcing the Divine Ark’s emergency descent?

Shouldn’t a mentor step up to lead everyone in a crisis?

Could it be that something had happened to him?

And Wu Danze mentioned seeing footprints in the engine room—whose were they?

Plus… where had all the engineers gone? Where did they disappear to?

Not to mention Senior Ai Ji being poisoned…

Too strange!

It felt as though everything was premeditated…

“Brother! Wait for me!” came a voice from behind; Mo Xing turned to see the chatterbox Xiao Ming.

This guy was relentlessly trailing him. Regardless of his dubious identity, he was certainly annoying.

Mo Xing didn’t hesitate, picking up speed to shake Xiao Ming off.

“Students—”

Suddenly, a broadcast echoed overhead—Shi Yan’s voice!

“I’m Shi Yan, and I have something to say. This situation happened suddenly, but we are not powerless. We’re all elite students sent by the academy, each with our own strengths. In the face of adversity, we should not give up easily. I hope everyone can unite, work together, and overcome this crisis—”

Well said! Mo Xing silently praised her.

“I hope everyone does their part. Students proficient in mechanics, please head to the engine room to help repair the damages. Those skilled in—”

“Crash—”

The broadcast was interrupted by shattering glass, followed by a buzzing sound—and then silence.

“Wh-what’s going on?” Mo Xing shivered with anxiety, immediately quickening his pace!

Shi Yan… please be safe!

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Deepest condolences to the martyrs and compatriots who lost their lives during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thank you for all your efforts and contributions in fighting the epidemic!

You will always remain in our hearts!

Heroes never die!