CHAPTER SEVEN

The alarm resounded for the nth time. Unfortunately, it was a lullaby to Chen Li Sha's ears. The phone snoozed once more before ringing again. This time, her eyelids twitched. 

A groan escaped her lips and magic coursed on her fingers. Her ungloved right hand swiped over the phone while she returned to her slumber. 

This was a well-deserved rest from their nonstop missions. Be it morning or night, monsters loved to appear whenever they liked as if they were rushing for death.

But not just a few minutes later, knocks banged through her door. It did not stop until she was jolted awake. With a scowl, she got up from the bed, screaming. "Wait!"

The banging did stop while she looked for her phone, only to see a deformed piece of metal on the bedside. Suddenly glancing at her fingers bared in daylight, all the drowsiness escaped her brain. 

'Urgh. Not again.' Her magic had always been uncontrollable but she never felt comfortable wearing gloves while sleeping. Yet every time she did not put it on, it just proved how her magic was better sealed. 

Grabbing her robe, she opened the door.

"What!"

"You have a mission! Let's go!" Carlos's smiling face appeared, nonchalant to her pissed-off expression as if being used to it.

After his disappearance yesterday, they decided it was better to leave him but now he was more dedicated to his designated job — alerting them about their mission to the point of annoyance.

"When is this even going to stop?" Liu Hui comes from behind, yawning with a hint of disgruntlement.

"What about Guo Feng?" Zhu Mu Yang also exited his room.

"I'm already here. I'm not like you lazy asses."

Chen Li Sha rolled her eyes but she had no energy to deal with it. She had been absorbing the monster's qi for a week straight. Her body needed more time to process the qi but it still craved for more to offset the energy. 

"What time is it anyway?" she asked.

"About four in the afternoon."

"What?"

She could not understand why Maharlika, a country not even a quarter of China was infested with monsters day by day. Missions back home were usually held in intervals but this?

Chen Li Sha's mind drifted to the report they were given last time. 'Maybe it's true. This is so unusual.'

But when her eyes drifted to Guo Feng's cocky grin, she was reminded of Shu Xin and the god. She had never believed in coincidence. Why did Carlos disappear for them to be separated? Why did Shu Xin appear and who was that god?

"Come on, Hunters! Let's do this!" His over-cheery tone made Chen Li Sha's brow shoot up.

There was a nagging feeling tugging her mind but she was stuck on what it was.

In the end, everyone got back to their room to prepare their things.

With a trained speed, it did not take a long time for them to finish and drive to the location of the mission.

The moment they arrived, they crossed the Wu looming over the area. But as soon as Chen Li Sha stepped over it, she jumped away when a vine almost pierced her shoulder.

The dried plant could kill anyone with just a stab, seeing how pointed it was. Not to mention, with the thorns around it, it could be considered as an additional torture that could result in a gruesome death.

The plant attacked again and everyone dodged. When her eyes perused over the place, she could understand the apparent hostility of the monster.

If there were such things as plant slaughter, this could be the perfect image to define it.

Countless trunks were cut with only a mere foot from the ground left. She could only envision the lushness that it had before it was burnt to ashes. The once green forestry was now mud brown with hints of burnt smell lingering on the air.

This type of scene would make anyone wonder how greedy humans were to sacrifice the environment for their own needs — a kind of damage that was the perfect prerequisite to summon such aggressive Desastres.

The blackened branches from leftover fire fused into a hybrid the size of a tree that only existed to kill anyone on its way. The numerous limbs writhed to strike whatever it came across.

"Carlos, go back to the car," Zhu Mu Yang said while Chen Li Sha was still assessing their surroundings.

It was a good call. Desastres born from deforestation were one of the highest levels of danger. It was hard to predict their movements and could used all kinds of ways to obliterate their enemies.

Carlos followed his words, leaving the four of them to face the rampant movements of those dead branches and vines.

After all the missions they had, everyone already had a tacit understanding as if they had been working together for years. Chen Li Sha headed back with Liu Hui on her side.

"I have the perfect poison for this." He grinned, pulling out the paper talismans from his bag.

"Just make it fast," she replied.

With her gun clutched, she shot an approaching twig. She had a kill yesterday and would not pass up the opportunity to kill another one. Not to mention, Deforestation Desastres often appeared in hoards. Although not everyone gave the same qi if she could kill a few, that would be the best.

Despite her complaint about how many missions they had since they got sent off, she benefited from it the most.

Not only because of how this might help her clear her name but at this rate, it would only be a year for the gem on her body could finally crystallize and grant her parent's wish.

"I'm done!"

She grimaced upon witnessing how his lips tilted upwards after he spoke. Liu Hui always had a bored brat expression but no one was as ardent as him when it came to the medical field.

Back in China, his indolence during off hours was amongst the favorite topics of the demigods. His idle behavior would even shock newcomers that he was the famous Divine Venerable— the demigod with miracle hands that could save anyone from the brink of death.

"Good. I'll go ahead." Chen Li Sha practically ran off to one of the main bodies.

She aimed her gun at its body. The vines ruptured into pieces. As the chaos grew, black blood splattered on the cuffs of her long-sleeved qipao. The liquid trickled on her fingers. As soon as it had direct contact with her exposed skin, a stinging sensation flowed on her nerves.

It was a different type of tingling that happened when she used her magic. After all, this was only the result of the curse.

She quickly dodges back. The sting was as painful as an ant bite but the more blood of monsters got on her skin, the worse it got.

She loaded her gun with more bullets and shot any approaching Desastres at a distance. But as she was getting on the zone, it only took a blink before all monsters disintegrated.

Smoke came from their body as howls of pain resonated in the area. The dead-moving trunks were now filled with gaping holes like their body was eaten by some invisible force.

She peered at Liu Hui who exuded pride with such a maniacal smile. Indeed, Liu Hui was as passionate as anyone could get who aspired to be a doctor. It was a given to all the gods of medicine's children.

But for poison? He was obsessed to the point that Er Lang Shen had given him that boorish title.

For it was never an honor, but a reminder.

People tend to forget Liu Hui's complete title due to his undeniable talent to save people that they missed such an important keyword.

Liu Hui was not just the Divine Venerable, he was the Divine Venerable of the Plague.

His cheeky grin grew smug as the rest of the team approached him with probing gazes.

"What? Amazing, right?" 

"How did you do it?" Chen Li Sha voiced out right away.

"Fvck! When did you get that powerful? You can already annihilate a hoard of monsters?" Guo Feng questioned with piercing curiosity.

"Xiong you cheng zhu." (Having a bamboo in one's chest.)

Zhu Mu Yang knocked Liu Hui's head. "That's not even the right way to use that proverb. Anyhow, your magic improved. Releasing a large-scale magic to kill all monsters is an achievement."

"Of course. No one can defeat me when it comes to poison making."

"That spell you did will surely be patented. Make sure you trade with lots of points with Bao Bei," Chen Li Sha suggested, excitement laced her voice.

She remembered the time she had a spell created and she became a little rich woman. But recalling about it, she should have asked for more.

"That's right. But inform the Chief before that," Zhu Mu Yang said.

"I already did. He already tested it out and was proven effective."

"Great! We should celebrate after this!" Chen Li Sha suggested.

"No problem. My treat," Liu Hui agreed, still obviously elated from his success. 

Guo Feng ruffled his head. "When did our Xiao Hui become so magnanimous, huh?"

Liu Hui backed away from him. "If you don't want then don't."

"Right! Let's leave that dog alone. Should we have hot pot and barbeque?"

"Ah, yes, only the pig would not think twice when it comes to food," Guo Feng butted in.

"Huh? Did you hear someone barking?" Chen Li Sha looked around and only passed Guo Feng's figure.

Guo Feng chuckled. "Xiao Hui, you should check on her before we go. Is it possible for stupidity to cause blindness and deafness?"

"Who's stupid, you bastard?" Chen Li Sha's jaw clenched.

"Oh, you heard me? Looks like you're not having hallucinations anymore."

"Urgh!" Chen Li Sha threw a punch but Guo Feng caught her fist.

She prepared for a kick but her right leg was stopped by Zhu Mu Yang.

"Enough, you two. When will you grow tired of these antics?"

Chen Li Sha fixed her posture but did not stop sending daggers to Guo Feng. The latter simply retained his amiable attitude like her callousness did not bother him a bit.

Zhu Mu Yang ordered them to collect some evidence before leading them away. Once they exited the mist, Zhu Mu Yang expelled the magic and it restored to its original phase when they came — still charred to the ground with no remorse to nature.

Returning to the van, Carlos was nowhere to be found. Zhu Mu Yang tried to call him but it was only ringing. Chen Li Sha tried to call him too, only to be notified that his line was busy.

Zhu Mu Yang was about to ask his team to search for Carlos when the guy finally appeared.

"Sorry, I went for a quick toilet."

"I see. No problem." Zhu Mu Yang said, gradually furrowing his brows. "Let us know beforehand next time. I thought something happened."

"Yes, yes, yes." He even nodded to emphasize then motioned to the van. "Let's go?"

They followed behind him and Chen Li Sha sat on the passenger seat. When Carlos fixed his seat belt, she caught a whiff of a familiar fragrance.

Her sense of smell had always been sharp and she could not mistake it. This was the exact fabric conditioner she used back at the headquarters dormitory in her home country. All the girls used this one while the boys had their own. It was a local brand that she needed to order online but why was the exact scent clung on Carlos?

'Weird...'

Was she missing something?

U n S c e n e s

Liu Hui: I am the best!!!

Chen Li Sha: Whatever makes you sleep, Xiao Hui.

Note:

Real life is getting more hectic, i just wanna sleep and cry then forget my responsibilities fr fr but i will cry more if i do things half-assed so here is me allotting more time to real life and spending less here, updates will be bi-weekly now.

See you next next week.

Or not :))