Chapter 794: April’s Desperate Strait
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 794: April’s Desperate Strait
Monopeng City.
At this moment, the night in Monopeng City had erupted into total chaos.
The moment April "defected," leaping from the upper floors with the Ice Sealed World in hand, this was destined to be a sleepless night.
As time ticked by, Monopeng City’s alarm system was triggered. Even I hadn't expected such a massive commotion; it sounded as if the city’s entire air-raid siren network had been activated...
With the Hawthorne family’s entire armed force on standby mobilized, and the Shi'an Bureau providing full cooperation, a massive sweep of Monopeng City began under the cover of night.
They moved swiftly to blockade the city’s vital thoroughfares.
Because the area near the Hawthorne estate was inaccessible to modern vehicles, April initially found herself with almost nowhere to run.
Aside from the Ice Sealed World, April possessed no transcendent means. This made evading capture even more difficult.
Furthermore, there was Monopeng City’s surveillance system and various witchcraft creations to contend with—such as the tracking pollen.
Under normal circumstances, a marked person would merely attract certain types of butterflies. However, by using a nose modified through witchcraft, one could engage in scent-tracking via that specific odor.
As a member of a wizard family, April was naturally aware of their methods, but that didn't mean she had a way to counter them.
Lacking any transcendent abilities beyond the Ice Sealed World, she found it incredibly difficult to cleanse herself. She could only do her best to avoid the scent markers and use the ice to desperately suppress the odors emanating from her own body.
However, covering her entire body in ice crystals placed an immense burden on her.
The "Hunting Noses" modified by witchcraft were extremely sensitive to scents. If she could find some pungent substance, she might have been able to counter them.
Unfortunately, she had nothing.
The Hawthorne family’s security forces were far more numerous than anticipated. After all, the more wealth and power one possessed, the more one feared death. In Monopeng City, the Hawthorne family’s word was law.
Even an organization like the Shi'an Bureau was no exception. Although the Shi'an Bureau interfaced with the Transcendent Academy, the family’s influence ensured that the bureau was primarily staffed by Hawthorne loyalists.
At the end of the day, the Shi'an Bureau was merely a group of graduated students tasked with maintaining secular stability. The family, however, had backings in the form of current students and teaching assistants at the academy. The Shi'an Bureau certainly couldn't afford to offend them.
That said... every individual in the Shi'an Bureau was a graduated student. Their personal combat power and methods were far beyond those of ordinary people.
Consequently, the Shi'an Bureau contributed significantly to this manhunt.
Take the scent-tracking noses, for instance. The technique used to modify them was a transcendent method, but the finished product was not. Similar enhancements—such as physical strengthening, limb modification, and partial mechanization—were commonplace.
All of these would be April’s opponents.
However... possessing the Ice Sealed World, she wouldn't be caught quite so easily.
* * *
In an area toward the outskirts of Monopeng City.
Sister Bai and I were casually enjoying some late-night snacks at a spot with a wide view of the city. The delicacies of Monopeng City were truly not to be missed.
The only downside was the sirens echoing across the city, which somewhat ruined the atmosphere.
But who would have guessed that the culprits behind this entire incident were sitting here, leisurely eating snacks?
"So, Xiao Han, when do you plan to make your move?" Sister Bai toyed with a skewer before elegantly taking a bite.
"I don't know... let's watch the fun a bit longer~" I shrugged, indicating my uncertainty. In truth, I really wasn't sure. My goal was to see the shackles on April’s heart completely shattered, and only April herself would know when that moment arrived.
"You're certainly taking it well. I really didn't expect you to just give that fragment away, Xiao Han. You’ve got guts. If she chooses to surrender to the family at the last moment instead of running, your Ice Sealed World is gone~"
"If it’s gone, it’s gone~ At the very least, it would prove that April is just a waste, and there’s no need for me to waste any more energy on her. Besides, if they want to complete the fragments in the end, they still won't be able to bypass me." I was quite open-minded about it. If something isn't meant to be mine, there's no point in gripping it too tightly. You have to give to get.
"By the way, Sister Bai." I finished a skewer and wiped my mouth as a thought occurred to me. "You seem rather interested in this April girl? I remember you being quite indifferent to her at the start."
"Oh, you noticed?" Sister Bai didn't bother denying it. "It’s nothing. She just piques my interest a bit. After all, the subject she chose... is also an Ordinary Subject."
"The Ordinary Soul... I have to say, Mentor Chris really knows how to pick subjects. It suits her perfectly." I agreed, but then shook my head with a sigh of regret. "But April has disappointed Chris’s expectations time and time again. It’s a pity."
* * *
In a narrow alleyway, April ducked into the shadows, looking somewhat disheveled after knocking down a "Hound" that had tracked her.
Those with scent-modified noses were called Hounds. Even ordinary people could undergo the modification, so most Hounds didn't have particularly strong physical stats.
Even for the graduated students, since their primary purpose was tracking, they specialized in speed and mobility.
As such, these people were no match for April.
However, this constant harassment was enough to delay her. Moreover, the Hounds were equipped with positioning systems and special scents, making it easy for other Hounds to converge and swarm her.
Furthermore... April instinctively patted the shattered ice crystals on her body. If she wasn't mistaken, she had already been scent-marked.
But as the layer of ice crystals on her body shattered, the areas marked by that special pollen fell away with them.
This was her only method for dealing with the scent.
Yet, covering her body in ice crystals placed a massive strain on her, and the chill was constantly eroding her core body temperature.
Her immortality manifested as the healing of wounds—a restoration of physical integrity stemming from her life essence—but the cold could still force her bodily functions into dormancy.
Her life level wasn't high enough for her to resist anomalous traits with transcendent abilities, so April couldn't maintain the Ice Sealed World indefinitely.
"Over there! After her!"
From a distance, the voices of the Hounds reached her, deepening the exhaustion in April’s heart.
By now, Monopeng City must have blockaded all major routes. The longer this dragged on, the less likely her escape became.
She was currently taking things one step at a time, with no long-term plan left. The only thing keeping her moving was the urge to flee.
To flee from the family that made her feel suffocated.
"Found you!"
A sudden voice sent alarm bells ringing in April’s head. In the next instant, a figure lunged directly at her.
"Damn it, will you people never leave me alone!" April roared in frustration, though it was unclear whether she was angry at the person before her or at herself.
"You're a traitor! If you can't take it, just surrender!" The man launched another ruthless sneak attack, but he failed again in the face of April’s combat instincts.
"Get lost! You can't beat me... aren't you afraid of death!" Although April seemed to be handling the situation with ease, she was still at a disadvantage.
Time was the one thing she couldn't afford to waste, yet this man was a graduated student who refused to let her go.
His strength was far beyond that of the Shi'an Bureau’s Hounds.
However, he was still no match for April, who had once been a teaching assistant.
In just a few exchanges, April had beaten him into a state of heavy injury with her bare hands. This was the first time April had such a direct realization of the terrifying power of her own body.
"Pah..." The man spat out a mouthful of blood, still refusing to let go. In the darkness, his modified night-vision pupils flickered with a dangerous, blood-red light.
At this moment, he was like a vicious wolf with eyes only for its prey.
"You're going to die!" April finally pinned him to the ground with a heavy stomp.
She couldn't delay any longer.
But just as she moved to leave quickly, she felt him death-grip her ankle.
"Why won't you just give up! Is your life really worth so little to this family that you'd—argh!"
April wanted to turn back and say something more, but the man summoned one last burst of strength and lunged upward, biting down hard on her ankle like a true beast!
His modified fangs tore through flesh and sank into the bone. The piercing pain caused April to snap.
She had no choice...
Her expression turned fierce, and for the first time, she looked upon her pursuer with murderous intent.
The survival instinct of a fugitive transformed her into a cold-blooded executioner.
There was a sickening crack of bone.
The grip on her ankle gradually slackened. Blood flowed steadily from the wound, but a life had just drifted away, light as a feather.
She had thought killing would be simple, but she never imagined it would feel so heavy.
The rules against killing in the Witch Academy had instilled in her a reverence for life. The only people she had ever "killed" were in life-and-death duels in the Arena, but those weren't true deaths. At the very least, the existence of Resurrection Spells meant she had never truly experienced what the passing of a life felt like.
Even in her match against Tan Han, she hadn't been as decisive as she was just now. Others thought she was good at hiding her killing intent, but in reality, she simply hadn't recognized the weight of taking a life back then.
"I have to... get out of here..." April pushed herself up against a wall. Feeling the state of her ankle, she knew her immortality wouldn't be able to repair it instantly without consequence.
Moreover... her blood had been left there.
Now that they had the scent of her blood, it would be even easier for the Hounds to find her.
Could she really escape?
As April struggled with these thoughts, the Hawthorne family’s dragnet had already closed in. Monopeng City was their home turf. Once they had locked onto her general location, all they had to do was block the roads and let the Hounds harass her, feeding her false information to guide her right into the encirclement. Then, it would all be over.
As for the Ice Sealed World in her hands?
After the exhaustion of running from the Hawthorne castle to the outskirts of Monopeng City, she wouldn't be able to sustain it!
The family indeed lacked a direct counter to the [Transcendent Knowledge] fragment, just as one couldn't win against Tan Han while she held the Staff of Absolute Cold without an equivalent countermeasure.
But they were very good at wars of attrition.
Even for someone whose life level was near the transcendent, there was a limit. Without any other means, she couldn't fly or tunnel through the earth. A plain, unadorned war of attrition was the best strategy.
Furthermore... it wasn't as if the family lacked transcendent means. They had Transcendent Items!
As long as one was willing to pay the price of using them, one could wield transcendent traits and power. April had already encountered such people more than once tonight.
She had ignored them all using the Ice Sealed World.
The enemy’s goal was to force her to use the Ice Sealed World repeatedly, constantly draining her. And she had no choice but to comply.
"Damn it... was there poison in that guy’s mouth too?" April’s condition was worsening. She was now certain that the "Mad Dog" had poisoned her in his final moments.
The poison wasn't enough to kill her, but its destructive power on her body was too great, and this damage was constantly draining her immortality.
This specific trait was designed to deal with enemies who possessed immortality; it could rapidly deplete their undying nature, stamina, and energy.
One could say these were the special methods "customized" for the families by the wizard students in the Wizard Academy, giving the families trump cards to deal with traitors like her or invaders.
Once a person’s immortality was exhausted, how were they any different from an ordinary person?
"Is this... my limit? This is... pathetic..."
Resentment welled up in April’s heart. She didn't know why; she had felt resentment before, but this time it was a resentment born of a desire for life. She didn't want to lose to the family like this—that family that controlled everything. If she died without ever escaping, then her resolve, her reflection, her yearning... all of it would be nothing but a pipe dream.
She didn't want it all to be a joke. Or rather... she didn't want to see the family members succeed in the end, wearing their smug smiles.
"This is..."
After turning through several more alleys, she suddenly emerged into an open area. But this wasn't the place she had hoped for, nor was it her path to freedom.
Monopeng City was vast—so vast that she hadn't seen all of it in her entire life.
Should she turn back?
April knew full well she was nothing more than a rat putting up a final struggle in the dark. She could only run frantically through the city streets.
But turning back...
It seemed she no longer had the chance.
The path behind her was blocked by the pursuing Hounds. She was no fool; by the time she realized she had entered a dead end, it was already too late.
As the exit was flooded with brilliant light, the entire force assigned to wait here revealed themselves.
Countless Shi'an Bureau vehicles and personnel, along with the Hawthorne family’s security forces—fully armed men holding firearms—were all waiting for her arrival.
Even April hadn't expected to one day receive such "grand" treatment.
"You are surrounded! Cease all resistance! Stop resisting immediately, put your hands behind your head..." A Shi'an Bureau officer used a megaphone to issue a formulaic demand for surrender, but in the next second, the megaphone was snatched away by a Hawthorne family member.
"Dammit... what the hell is the point of talking like that? Let me!" The man angrily adjusted the megaphone to its maximum volume, showing zero regard for the Shi'an Bureau’s face. In Monopeng City, the Hawthorne family stood above the Shi'an Bureau!
"April, you traitor! You're surrounded! If you don't want to die, put down what's in your hand! Otherwise, you'll be met with a hail of bullets! You can't escape! Do you hear me!"