Chapter 388
Chapter 388
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 388
>Chapter Title: Sorry
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“What’s wrong with this guy? How’d he jump off a building that high? Should we call 911?”
“Guard! Someone’s hurt over here!”
“Hey! I know him—he was on TV! They say he’s a big hero who roots out evil for the people.”
“Look at his hand, it’s all messed up. Poor guy.”
The chatter from the other patients around him couldn’t distract Li Huowang in the slightest. He pulled his gaze back from the cellblock in front of him and lifted his head, scanning the surroundings for something.
“I made it out of its belly, but I’m still in the water. If I don’t get back to the ship fast, I’m gonna drown!”
Li Huowang searched frantically until his eyes locked onto a steel watchtower in the distance.
It looked like it was on the outer edge of White Tower Prison. A soldier clutching a rifle stood there with his neck craned, peering suspiciously in their direction.
The watchtower loomed very high, taller than any of the buildings around it—the highest spot nearby.
“No doubt about it, that’s the ship I was on!” Li Huowang thrust both hands into the air and began paddling like he was swimming, charging straight toward the steel watchtower.
His whole body ached fiercely. He could barely lift his arms, and it felt like his frame was about to fall apart.
He knew he must’ve taken some serious damage inside that monster’s gut—whether from its teeth or its stomach acid, he couldn’t say.
But he couldn’t give up now. Li Huowang swam with every ounce of strength he had, muttering under his breath, “Li Sui, help your dad out—swim faster with me! I can’t see what’s going on over there. Whatever happens, it’s on you!”
No sooner had he spoken than Li Huowang felt a surge of power welling up from within, urging him onward. “Thanks, Li Sui!”
Just then, a swarm of guards burst out from the cellblock entrance, nets and prods and other gear in hand as they raced anxiously after him.
In the middle of White Tower Prison’s oval exercise yard—meant for fresh air—an inmate bolted ahead while a horde pursued. Li Huowang’s movements were no match for theirs; the gap between them was closing fast.
He finally reached the edge of the yard, where a dense chain-link fence blocked the way to the watchtower. Without a second thought, Li Huowang jammed his fingers into the gaps and started climbing.
As the situation spiraled out of control, the soldier atop the watchtower snapped his rifle to his shoulder, squinting through the sight.
“Don’t shoot! For God’s sake, don’t shoot!” A frantic voice rose from the chasing pack. “This guy’s all over the news right now! If he dies in our yard, we’re in deep shit!”
By then, Li Huowang had reached the top, where a razor-wire coil bristling with barbs loomed before him.
The instant his hand brushed the coil on his way over, a blue arc of electricity crackled out—it was live with high voltage.
Seeing this, the prods and nets reaching up from below yanked back in a hurry, lest they get zapped.
“You think this little pain can stop me? It’s not enough!!” With a savage grimace, Li Huowang seized the razor coil and hauled himself over with one arm. His skin blackened on contact, and smoke began curling from his prison garb.
“Cut the power! Cut the damn power!”
As Li Huowang’s body teetered on the brink of catching fire, everyone below gaped in stunned silence at the figure wreathed in white smoke who somehow kept moving. “God almighty, is that even human?”
With his last burst of strength, Li Huowang vaulted onto the iron stairs at the watchtower’s corner.
“Haha...” Li Huowang gasped for air, his entire body gone numb as his mind grew hazy.
He was utterly exhausted, every last scrap of energy drained from him. But the ship was right there—he couldn’t fail now, not after coming this far.
He drew a deep breath and lurched to his feet, propping himself along the railing with his mangled, bloodied hand as he staggered toward the watchtower.
The two guards on duty stared in horror as this terrifying madman clambered up the stairs. They didn’t know whether to raise their rifles or not.
In the end, they flipped them around, hefting the heavy stocks like clubs.
To their astonishment, though, once the lunatic reached the platform, he just stood there without attacking.
Of course Li Huowang didn’t need to move anymore. He knew he’d made it back to the deck—he was safe for the moment.
Catching his breath, Li Huowang mustered his wits and addressed the two men before him. “Captain, don’t stop—keep heading for Apricot Island.”
“Thud thud thud.” The pounding of boots on the iron stairs jolted Li Huowang’s foggy mind to full alert.
He pressed himself against the wall and retreated, positioning himself at an angle between the newcomers and the pair ahead.
Staring at the glinting prods in their hands, Li Huowang screamed hysterically, “Water monkeys, huh? You’re not dragging me back under!!”
As they lunged, Li Huowang decisively jammed his right hand toward his left eye.
“Huowang!” The anguished wail froze his hand mid-motion. He stared in shock at the water monkey who’d spoken, and a flash of white emerged from the pack.
It was Yang Na, haggard and heartbreakingly frail as she stood there. “Huowang, are you with it now? Do you recognize me?”
Li Huowang instinctively ducked his head away from her gaze. Then, as his mind swam, he flung up a hand, his mouth stretching into a manic grin. “I am the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong! Today I storm the Jade Emperor’s hall and wreck the heavens!!”
Tears streaming down his face, Li Huowang capered and flailed like a true madman before them all, laughing wildly.
Yang Na’s heart twisted like a knife at the sight. On the verge of breaking down, she cried out, “Huowang! What do you want me to do?! I can’t forget you!!”
Hearing this, Li Huowang slowly came to a halt. His expression shifted, and he stumbled forward, raising his right hand toward her. In that pulp of flesh and blood rested a tiny white wildflower the size of a fingernail.
In that split-second distraction, a rifle stock whipped out from the side and smashed into Li Huowang’s forearm, snapping it at a brutal ninety degrees.
A tremendous force slammed into him from behind as the two guards rushed forward, pinning him facedown. The others, terrified this violent maniac might erupt again, piled on to help. Soon he was buried under a mountain of bodies.
Through the shifting crowd, Li Huowang’s eyes met Yang Na’s helpless, despairing stare. His lips parted softly. “Nana... sorry... back then.”
(End of chapter)