Chapter 1276: Settling Karmic Debt
"We can't control it…" Yan Zhichun said, somewhat helplessly. "Whether it's Heaven Dragon, Blue Dragon, or Qi Xia… none of their schemes are within our power to influence. But I'll do as I promised… try my best to give the 'Extreme Path' the ending it deserves."
"Zhichun, don't put too much pressure on yourself." Jiang Ruoxue sighed. "We're all independent people. You don't need to take responsibility for us."
Yan Zhichun listened, nodded with a complex expression, then quickly snapped back to reality and said to Zhou Mo, "Now's not the time to think about Heaven Dragon… the fight upstairs must be in full swing… we need a large number of 'Ants' here to join the battle… Tell him I need to set up a strategy so we can take out all the 'Heavenly' level at once."
"Alright." Zhou Mo arranged for people to check on the wounded of the 'Extreme Path' while instructing the 'Ant King' to organize the various 'Ants' from all sides.
Aunt Tong couldn't stay put any longer. After explaining the situation to Yan Zhichun, she dashed straight for the exit. Yan Zhichun quickly had Old Sun and Old Deng go with her for support.
At this point, there were no 'Earth' level fighters capable of combat left at the 'Cargo Hold' entrance. Their own side only had Old Lü and the Monkey Girl left. The two stood together, facing the blind Mole and the few 'Human' level fighters beside him. Both sides seemed wary, neither making a move.
After all, making a move now would mean death. And no one present wanted to die.
"Little girl…" Old Lü turned his head and said, "You should go too… no need to throw your life away here."
"Uncle… I can't walk anymore." The Monkey Girl said. "Can you?"
"I can't fucking walk either…" Old Lü coughed a few times. Only then did the Monkey Girl notice that blood was seeping from the mouth area of his pig-head mask.
An ordinary 'Human' level fighter, enduring minutes of beating from an 'Earth' level, surviving was already a miracle. Even if he had 'Echo', he might not have gained any advantage.
"Girl… I'm really exhausted… At my age, I can't keep up with you anymore…"
The Monkey Girl took off her mask and tossed it on the ground. Old Lü saw that one of her eyes had even been gouged out in the chaos. Besides that, one of her legs was twisted and deformed.
"We're about the same, aren't we?" The Monkey Girl smiled.
"You're a bit better off than me." Old Lü also smiled. "I'm still shaking from exhaustion. Back when I was selling socks at my stall, I never got beaten up like this before."
"Before? Why didn't you fight back?" The Monkey Girl asked.
"Oh… you're obviously a smart kid, you wouldn't understand the hardships of us common folks…" Old Lü shook his head, stepped back, and leaned against the wall. "If someone comes looking for trouble, you take a couple of punches and it's over. But if you fight back, you might end up having to pay compensation."
"Then they beat you up but don't have to pay compensation?"
Neither of them paid any attention to the enemies in front of them. At the final moment of their lives, they chatted freely with each other.
"Compensation? They'd pay me three to five hundred for medical bills, then come back next time and hit me even harder?" Old Lü let out a dry laugh. "I have to sell socks to support my family. If I get beaten so badly I can't get up, everything gets delayed. People… being bullied isn't a big deal. Endure it, and the days will pass."
"I see." The Monkey Girl nodded. "So… you have 'Hardening'…"
"That's right." Old Lü smiled. "After I found out I had 'Hardening', I was fucking thrilled! That way, no matter how much I get beaten, I'll never be knocked down. I can definitely still set up my stall…"
Old Lü's voice gradually faded: "Ah… I'm too tired… Girl, I'll sit for a while."
He slowly sat down against the wall, coughing incessantly.
"But this time, I got the shit beaten out of me too badly… These young punks don't know their own strength… What if they kill someone… cough…"
Old Lü lowered his head, trying to reach back to rub his aching spine, but his fat arms just couldn't twist around.
He sat dejectedly in the corner, his face a bitter smile, as if he had been through this scene many times before.
"Uncle, you're about to die." The Monkey Girl said expressionlessly. "Any last words to tell me? If I survive, I'll pass them on to the others."
"Last words?" Old Lü shook his head. "You're scaring me, girl… I'm fine… Don't judge me by appearances. I'm smart at critical moments. I've got plenty of fat on my back; I can take the hits… Better look at yourself… you silly girl, your eyeball is hanging out…"
"Yeah, I'm probably about to die too. But I studied medicine." The Monkey Girl said. "Uncle, you've been spitting up blood the whole time. Your internal organs must be shattered."
"I know my own body…" Old Lü's head was bowed, his voice growing softer, as if even he didn't believe himself, so he changed his tune, "Besides… I don't really have any 'last words'. I got on this 'Train' to save people… Now I've saved people… I'm content…"
The Monkey Girl sighed, slowly sat down beside Old Lü, and threw her fountain pen away.
"You're content, but I'm not. What a shame…" The Monkey Girl shook her head. "I thought we could really get out this time… Why is it that no matter how hard we try, it's just not enough…?"
"Oh, little girl… don't be so pessimistic…" Old Lü was about to comfort her a bit when he suddenly coughed again, and his mask was once again stained crimson with blood.
He had no choice but to quickly take off the mask, spilling more blood on the ground.
He gasped for air, coughed for a long while before finally catching his breath, and said with sorrow in his eyes, "Ah… humans are so fragile… Even a minor bump can leave you crippled or dead…"
"We're not talking about minor bumps. Do minor bumps gouge your eyes out?"
As soon as he said that, the Monkey Girl also spat out a mouthful of blood, which even contained fragments of internal organs.
Just then, the few standing 'Human' level fighters seemed to be making a move. They exchanged glances and walked step by step toward the two dying people.
Whatever these two were up to, the heads of the 'Rebels' were definitely tickets to promotion.
Old Lü knew his time had come. What awaited him was probably another familiar beating. But he was too tired, completely unable to open his eyes.
He heard many footsteps ringing in his ears. He heard someone calling his name.
He heard a man's voice say, "Don't bully people here."
He seemed to hear the stone in his heart finally drop.
But his eyes still wouldn't open.
"Old Lü…" Aunt Tong sat beside him, holding his hand as if holding a tired child. Then, in a sorrowful yet calm voice, she said, "It's okay… sleep now… Once you're asleep… your 'karmic debt' will be cleared… You won't blame yourself anymore…"
"Xiaochan…" Old Lü's lips moved slightly. "I'm so tired… Remember to wake me early… Don't want to miss the stall…"
"Okay… okay…"
Aunt Tong's tears fell in large drops. Amid the dazzling battle between the 'Original Object' and the 'Puppet', they suppressed their grief and saw off Old Lü and the Monkey Girl.
In the final moment, she didn't even have time to ask what that one-eyed girl's real name was.
What was her heart's lingering attachment?
What kind of 'karma' did she carry?