Dominion’s End Volume 6: The Unknown Elite
Original novel in Chinese by: 御我 (Yu Wo)
Chapter 1: On the Eve of War—translated by Simone & lucathia (proofread by Minthe & Trespasserby; C/E edited by lucathia & Simone)
“Stop.”
I was the first to stop my motorcycle, indicating for the other two to stop as well. Yunqian was driving a cool, black motorcycle, while Xiao Sha’s was a cream-colored scooter. We hadn’t been able to find a lot of motorcycles with fuel left. The two had held a game of rock-paper-scissors, resulting in a crushing defeat for Xiao Sha.
Shujun sat behind me and craned her neck to ask curiously, “Èrgē, what’s wrong?”
“There might be some of those Shangguan troops ahead.”
I faintly sensed danger. It wasn’t piercing, the kind that was alarming enough to make you want to run and escape. It couldn’t be some dangerous aberrant. This path had been used for many of the Zhanjiang Garrison’s comings and goings, so it had been swept clean. Nothing left should register as a threat to me, which made it very likely to be the Shangguans’ army.
“We’re not far from the base.”
I could see from Yunqian’s expression that she was also concentrating.
I looked at Xiao Sha and asked, “You’re an expert at investigating. It shouldn’t be a problem to get close to those troops and have a look at the enemy’s situation, right?”
“No problem, I’ll go.”
Without hesitation, Xiao Sha abandoned the delicate, cream-colored scooter.
I blocked him and demanded, “Take me with you.”
Xiao Sha frowned. “You don’t have the relevant training. Our opponents are professional soldiers. There’s a very high chance they’ll discover us.”
“That’s why I’ll rely on you!” I confidently said, “I need to see if there are any people with powerful abilities, so I have to go.”
In any case, I’ve been able to stay hidden for ten years during the apocalypse. I might not be a master of stealth, but my hiding skills should count for something!
Xiao Sha still shook his head and said, “If we’re discovered, we won’t be able to escape. Their numbers are too high, and they’re armed.”
I laughed and said with even more confidence, “It might be difficult to defeat them, but escaping is definitely not a problem.”
Hearing this, Xiao Sha gave in.
“Èrgē, be careful.”
Shujun pulled on my sleeve and warned, “You’re not allowed to get injured again.”
I petted her head and said, “Don’t worry, I’m not planning on doing anything. We’ll leave after we’ve had a look.”
I did my best to ignore the suspicious look in Mèimei’s eyes, and said to Yunqian, “Hide somewhere with Shujun to wait for Xiao Sha and me to return. No matter what you notice approaching you while you wait, run immediately! If you’re really not able to escape, shoot some lightning into the sky and think of a way to stall for time. I’ll be coming as fast as I can.”
Pouting, Xiaomèi muttered, “I can also fight. I helped Dàgē a lot before.”
If she only needed to stand there and release lightning, while many powerful protectors stood in front of her, Shujun’s powers were definitely formidable, but if she had to confront armed and specialized combat professionals with only Yunqian beside her, that was a completely different matter!
“Listen to Èrgē.”
I briefly explained, “They have a lot of weapons. You have no way of dealing with them for now.”
Shujun nodded, looking scared as soon as I mentioned weapons.
Yunqian patted her own chest and pledged, “Don’t worry. I’ll hide well with Shujun. No one will notice us.”
Xiao Sha added, “Yunqian is a sniper. There’s no one better at finding a hideout than she is.”
Hearing these words, I could finally feel assured. It was great to have professional teammates. Even during the apocalypse, I could go outside with my treasured mèimei without the need to worry there’d be no one to protect her.
Time was running out, and I didn’t want to delay us any longer. After shouting “Let’s go!”, I led Xiao Sha in the direction of the place I had sensed something.
On the way, Xiao Sha couldn’t help but ask in a low voice, “I didn’t expect it to be this far. How do you know where the army is?”
Continued