Chapter Fifty-Five: Plan C

Weng Dongqi, wounded but still spirited, cast a glance of pity at the monster that had grown several times more powerful. Yet his face showed not the slightest hint of fear, tension, or even seriousness.

“Che Juchen, you’ve forgotten the code of the Pulse Adept. Recklessly amplifying your power doesn’t make you stronger.”

Weng Dongqi stepped aside, avoiding the beast’s sweeping claw, and then, astonishingly, came to stand lightly upon the back of Che Juchen’s hand.

Che Juchen howled, both fists pounding furiously, but always missing by the narrowest of margins.

The Master of Technique moved with the steps of the Northern Dipper, steady as he traversed the uneven terrain of blood and flesh.

Tentacles lashed through the air, each one powerful enough to shatter a wild horse’s spine, yet with a casual gesture, Weng Dongqi redirected them, knotting them into massive, dead tangles.

Master of Technique—supreme in skill.

The phrase “four ounces moves a thousand pounds” might be an exaggeration, yet even drained of strength, Weng Dongqi subdued the flesh-devouring Che Juchen with effortless mastery.

At last, Weng Dongqi reached the monster’s enormous head and sighed, “Does it hurt?”

Che Juchen roared, several small heads shooting out to bite at Weng Dongqi.

With nimble grace, Weng Dongqi evaded every attack. His hand, shaped like a blade, pierced into Che Juchen’s true brain—his original face.

Che Juchen, possessed of prodigious vitality, still tried to fight back. But a surge of pulse energy, torrential as a flash flood, crashed through his central nervous system, traveling along the nerves and destroying eight auxiliary brains hidden in his spine, chest, abdomen, and pelvis, erasing every spark of life.

The immense creature froze. Its body temperature, once furnace-like, plummeted; its body, metabolism racing, rotted in an instant like a dead fish, flesh and bone separating as it crashed to the ground.

Suddenly, Weng Dongqi coughed up a mouthful of black blood.

In his final moments, Che Juchen had released a neurotoxin potent enough to kill ten elephants, stabbing it into Weng Dongqi’s body.

Looking at the black blood in his palm, Weng Dongqi felt a wave of helplessness he hadn’t experienced in years.

Just then, another figure emerged from the settling dust.

Weng Dongqi exhaled a heavy breath, forcing new strength into his body in preparation for battle. But when he saw who it was, he exclaimed in shock, “It’s you!”

The newcomer’s every step was measured, each stride identical, as if walking a straight line. It was Chen Tu, whose mastery of technique was equally unrivaled.

Chen Tu sighed wearily, “There’s no need for introductions. I’m no longer worthy of being a Pulse Adept.”

Weng Dongqi stared in disbelief. “Red-Handed Chen Tu... Why are you helping this monster? No, you... you’ve become a monster yourself.”

The keen senses of a Pulse Adept allowed Weng Dongqi to immediately discern the changes in his old friend.

Chen Tu sighed, “Life twists and turns in ways words cannot describe...”

With that, an awkward silence fell between them, and neither felt the urge to fight.

Suddenly, Weng Dongqi spoke. “Zhang Liaoyuan has broken the seal.”

“Teacher is free?!” Chen Tu was startled. “Everyone, withdraw.”

At his command, the restless split bodies retreated, leaving only a single envoy as Adonsa’s mouthpiece.

“Who is Zhang Liaoyuan?” Adonsa asked.

Weng Dongqi seemed reluctant to answer but, after a pause, replied, “Zhang Liaoyuan may be the strongest Pulse Adept in history—invulnerable, with a body like diamond.”

Adonsa was dissatisfied with this brief answer but did not interrupt. Later, it could always extract the details from Chen Tu.

“Does Teacher still wish to found a nation of Pulse Adepts?” Chen Tu asked.

Weng Dongqi nodded silently.

Chen Tu sighed deeply. “Must it come to this?”

“The tree longs for calm, but the wind will not cease. We Pulse Adepts seek freedom, yet in the end, we’re doomed to spend our lives in this turbulent mortal world.” There was infinite melancholy in Weng Dongqi’s voice; his age clearly far exceeded the mere thirty years his appearance suggested.

Adonsa said, “Let me guess, among you Pulse Adepts, there must be a faction of hermits and a faction of dictators, with utterly different views on your relationship with common people.”

Perhaps Adonsa’s air of intelligence dispelled some of Weng Dongqi’s hostility; though unwilling to converse with a monster, he continued the discussion.

“Long ago, we Pulse Adepts ruled this land. But with the rise of technology, we realized its potential. We could shrug off rifles, but organized tank divisions could completely defeat us. Though not yet obsolete, some among us believed it was only a matter of time, so we gradually faded into the shadows, no longer interfering directly in human affairs, to avoid becoming targets.”

Adonsa was curious. “Though deadly weapons are fatal to Pulse Adepts, those who wield them are still fragile. Shouldn’t you still have the power to rule the world?”

Chen Tu smiled bitterly. “Because there are too few of us. At our peak, there were ten thousand Pulse Adepts. After the world war and the Internal Protection War, there are perhaps two or three thousand left. Cultivating a Pulse Adept is harder than you imagine.”

Weng Dongqi seemed unwilling to reveal any more of their weaknesses and shook his head, refusing to speak.

Adonsa laughed. “Given all that, Mr. Weng Dongqi, do you still insist on fighting me? Understand this—if you see me as an enemy, this will not be a mere battle, but a war!”

The entire city gave an almost imperceptible tremor—the tread of tens of thousands of split bodies.

Feeling that vast, unified pulse, Weng Dongqi sighed. “Traitors within, foes without... Monster, I admit you’ve chosen the perfect time to appear.”

Adonsa said, “I admire human knowledge. You say war is the continuation of politics, and politics is the means by which a class rules a nation. In the end, all conflict is but the clash of ideologies, and everyone is convinced of their own correctness. When words fail to persuade, raising a fist, wielding a club, destroying and conquering the other side becomes the only way.”

Weng Dongqi narrowed his eyes, finding the monster before him more and more unfathomable. “What exactly are you?”

Adonsa replied, “I am a monster, a human, you, him, and myself. Everything here is but a tool for my journey. My name is Adonsa.”

Adonsa gazed at the blue sky and white clouds. “My aim is the end of evolution, the source of truth.”

Weng Dongqi was silent for a long time, then suddenly turned away.

“Adonsa, I don’t know if now is the last chance to destroy you, but humanity’s pointless inner strife has given you this opportunity to grow. Don’t underestimate us—we are the race that conquered this world.”

Adonsa said, “I shall wait and see.”

Suddenly, Adonsa turned its head, eyes searching the distance.

Just then, Lin Jicang escaped, shedding his skin to rid himself of Adonsa’s toxin.

No, it was not an escape—it was a hunt.

His target—

The City Hall.