Chapter 1193: Delay

When Qian Wu let go, he and Zhu Que fell slowly in opposite directions, like two felled trees.

The smoke from the high temperature and burning flesh made it impossible for Qian Wu to breathe. He felt his throat was completely ulcerated, and his chest was wracked with intense pain.

The remaining few "Mao" members rushed forward, extending their hands to grab Qian Wu.

In the chaos, Qian Wu gripped someone's hand, trying to copy the other's body, but he failed several times.

He had no idea what his facial features looked like now; he only felt that his nostrils, ears, and eyes were ice-cold, followed by excruciating pain that pierced his heart. This made all his resolve vanish in an instant, leaving his mind blank—he only wanted to survive.

"Da Ge Wu!"

The cries of the others echoed in his ears, growing louder, as if his hearing had returned, but each word caused his ears to throb with agony.

But thinking carefully... was Zhu Que dead?

Everyone was gathered around him, so Zhu Que must be dead, right?

If Zhu Que was dead, then he had no reason to keep living.

"Da Ge Wu! It's me!" Song Qi's voice came through slowly. "I've come!"

"Lao Qi..."

Qian Wu slowly opened his eyes, but all he saw was a sea of red. He reached out, groping toward the direction of Song Qi's voice.

"Da Ge Wu..." Song Qi seemed to understand Qian Wu's thoughts and whispered in his ear, "You can't die now!"

"Lao Qi... you..."

"We still need you." Song Qi said again.

Qian Wu paused for a moment, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart. He mustered his strength and activated "Shuang Sheng Hua," and this time, it succeeded.

In a short time, he felt his throat easing, and his senses returning.

When he finally saw clearly what was around him, the surviving members of the "Mao" team were all standing by his side, surrounding him.

"Urgh..." Qian Wu slowly got up from the ground. Now, he and Song Qi were of similar build. He reached up and scratched at the old burn scars on his chest, saying, "Lao Qi, are your scars always this itchy?"

"My scars have always been like this, Da Ge Wu." Song Qi replied.

"So... what's the situation now?" Qian Wu turned his head slowly and saw Zhu Que lying on his back.

His body was covered in various wounds; he looked like he should have been dead long ago. Now, black fluid was oozing from his seven orifices, making the scene utterly terrifying.

Everyone felt as though they hadn't killed some "divine beast," but rather a demon.

Yun Shijiu lay beside Zhu Que, seemingly completely unconscious.

"Did we win...?" Qian Wu asked with a hint of doubt.

Song Qi glanced at Qian Wu with a heavy expression and nodded:

"Yes, we won."

Qian Wu noticed something odd about Song Qi's expression, but when he looked at the other "Mao" members, they all seemed to sigh in relief.

It appeared Zhu Que was truly immobilized. The eyes in his throat and mouth must have been completely burned away in the attack. Even with all his cunning, he couldn't have anticipated someone shoving a signal flare into his mouth to burn himself and take him down together.

"I feel like a lot of people were helping us." Qian Wu recalled the earlier events and said, "We weren't fighting alone."

"Yes." Song Qi nodded in agreement. "There were indeed many people helping us."

"Tsk, damn it..." Zhou Mo stepped forward and kicked Song Qi's leg hard. "Where the hell were you earlier? Did you run all the way from Antarctica or something?"

"I was delayed by some matters on the way." Song Qi replied with an awkward smile. "But it's all sorted out now."

"Tsk! Sorted out your ass... Tell me, what could be more important than taking down Zhu Que?" Zhou Mo kicked him again. "What could be more important than your brothers' lives?"

Ning Shiba and Bai Jiu quickly stepped in to hold Zhou Mo back; she was truly furious.

Perhaps deep down, she trusted Song Qi more than anyone else. She believed that if he had arrived sooner, more people could have survived.

But now, the "Mao" team was left with bodies strewn everywhere, barely seven or eight members remaining.

"Liu Jie... calm down..." Bai Jiu said from the side. "Qi Ge must have had something really important..."

Song Qi listened to their conversation but just kept his lips sealed, offering no explanation.

Qian Wu frowned slightly and glanced at Ma Shi'er, who had arrived with Song Qi.

His expression was equally grave. Based on what Qian Wu knew about these two, the matters they encountered on the way were probably even more critical than their brothers' lives.

"Forget it." Qian Wu said. "If Lao Qi doesn't want to talk about it, we don't need to ask."

"Thank you, Da Ge Wu..."

"Go check on Shijiu... Our mission is done..." Qian Wu said.

Song Qi opened his mouth as if to say something, but then looked down at the watch on his wrist, as if something else was weighing on him, and swallowed his words.

Ma Shi'er noticed Song Qi's demeanor and seemed to understand, then signaled to Liu Ershiyi. The two of them headed toward Yun Shijiu by Zhu Que's side.

The "Mao" members, with their rich combat experience, kept their eyes on Zhu Que's direction as they advanced—no one could be sure he was really dead.

When the two reached Yun Shijiu, Liu Ershiyi checked his breathing and found he was still alive. They quickly lifted him up together, draping him over their shoulders, and step by step, moved away from Zhu Que.

At that moment, Ma Shi'er looked up at Song Qi, his lips moving slightly as if mouthing two words:

"Goodbye."

Song Qi nodded, then began to mobilize his full resolve.

Exactly... who is it?

With Ma Shi'er and Liu Ershiyi supporting Yun Shijiu on either side as they approached the group, it had to be one of those three.

It was Zhu Que just now, Yun Shijiu now—who would it be next?

Zhu Que was making his move, selecting the most suitable "Hui Xiang."

Song Qi knew his opportunity was limited, and the hope of killing Zhu Que rested on this single attack.

In the next second, Ma Shi'er's eyes went blank, and a sinister smile spread across his face.

He slightly opened his mouth, and an eerie voice emanated from deep in his throat.

"What a pity..." Song Qi slowly furrowed his brow. "Just as planned."

Before anyone could react, Ma Shi'er unleashed his exquisite "Transfer." With a wave of his hands, Yun Shijiu and Liu Ershiyi floated up beside him and shot toward the group like bullets.

Song Qi and Qian Wu stood shoulder to shoulder, letting their two teammates fly past them and crash into the others behind. The sounds of bones cracking and screams filled the air, but neither of them looked back.

No one could block an attack at that speed—even if it had been aimed at them, they would have had no choice but to die.

Fortunately, Zhu Que always liked to toy with his prey like a cat with a mouse, never killing the leaders first—that would be his fatal flaw.

"Lao Qi." Qian Wu murmured, "Is that what you went to handle earlier?"

"More or less." Song Qi nodded.