110 - THE NEMESIS

"Calm down." The old regent clasped Da Qing's shoulder before the yashou stepped further into the forest.

"But... But..." The yashou stared at the deep frozen lake.

"But what?" Zhu Hong gulped after she screamed, unleashing her depression.

"We have to do something." Da Qing screamed back at her.

"Calm down!" Shen YongZheng stopped the aimless screaming match. "Let's think about what we should do now."

"We just left that place. Is there any way to go back there now?" Lin Jing's fear blew out at the second he read the scroll.

"There is," the Regent nodded. "All of you have been there. We can go through the other door to enter."

"So I can't go with you?" Zhu Hong pointed at herself.

"You can't. Especially because you are pregnant right now." The old regent peered at Zhu Hong's tummy.

Zhu Hong caressed her lower belly. "All right," she nodded. "Please, be careful."

"You better stay here." Shen YongZheng glanced at his best friend.

"But..."

"This is about your sons, I know. But you can't jeopardize yourself. You just got a new heart." Shen YongZheng patted Zhao XinChi's back. "Your sons will go home. I promise you with my life."

"This is why I can't let you go alone," Zhao XinChi retorted. "Do you think I can face your wife if something happened to you?"

"I won't be that stupid," Shen YongZheng retorted.

"Wait..." Zhu Hong interrupted the argument. "Zhao Papa got his heart back?"

"What about Elder Zhang?" Sang Zan knit his eyebrows. "Is he staying behind?"

"Yes... I can't feel his presence," Wang Zheng added.

"It's complicated. I'll tell you later." Guo ChangCheng was unusually impatient. "Now we have to hurry."

"Regent..." Shen YongZheng nodded at the elder, who nodded back at him. "You better stay here." He shot Zhao XinChi a death glare.

Zhao XinChi took a deep breath as he nodded. "All right. Stay safe," he said.

"Mm-hmm," Shen YongZheng sighed in relief.

"Let's go-"

"Going somewhere, Sir?" A familiar voice sounded from the forest. Everyone whipped their heads at the voice's source.

"Ding Dun?" Shen YongZheng frowned, staring at the young man, who emerged from the forest darkness.

"Yes, Sir... I am." Ding Dun smiled, but something was off. Everybody stood in their highest stances as they felt the wind change.

"What are you doing here?" Suddenly, another familiar voice echoed from the other side of the forest.

"Sha Ya," Zhu Hong muttered. Her tone was somewhere between surprised and confused. Sha Ya did not look at them, but somewhere else.

"I searched for you because you took too long. The elders told me to find you here. Who guessed I would also see an old friend here," Sha Ya smirked.

"You..." Ding Dun's face hardened.

"Do you know him?" Sang Zan asked the lady.

"Of course, I know him. He is a traitor who stabbed me in the back years ago." Sha Ya glared at the newcomer as she strode to their side.

"What?" Shen YongZheng's frown deepened.

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"Are you sure we're going in the right direction?" Zhao YunLan peered around them, scanning the creepy surroundings. The hedge plants' wide leaves resulted from their adaptation to the dark place. How the plants could grow in a place with no sunlight was something he would never understand.

"No matter which way we choose, we'll get to the center," Zhao MingAn answered. "Just open your eyes wide, Ge."

"How do you expect me to walk with closed eyes?" Zhao YunLan shot his brother with sarcasm.

Zhao MingAn opened his mouth, but closed it. It was no use to explain. His elder brother's annoyance was at its peak right now. "You'll know what I meant when you see them," he said.

"You-"

"Zhao YunLan."

"You scold me?" Zhao YunLan glared at Shen Wei.

"Not that I scold you, but can you look at the dried fluid on the leaves?" Shen Wei pointed out the darkened marks on the trees. "It seems like blood."

"Indeed," Zhu Jiu nodded. "It seems this place's history is as dark as its surroundings."

"NianZhi, look out!" Chu ShuZhi pushed his brother when something charged at the man. A gust of wind passed Chu NianZhi's back, slashing the tree.

"What's that?" Shen YeZun screamed in shock, but Zhao MingAn covered his mouth.

"Shhh," Zhao MingAn whispered.

"Hungry... Hungry..." the figure growled in a low voice.

"What is that?" Zhu Jiu stepped back, taking some distance from the unknown creature.

"A man?" Chu NianZhi frowned when the shine of his flashlight hit the figure. A human? No. A skeleton covered in skin trudged from the intersection. Its long, messy hair fell down around its head, covering the entire face. It's clothing filled with splashes of dried blood. His sharp nails became a scary natural weapon. "How can someone live in this kind of environment?"

"Someone who cursed," Zhao MingAn answered.

"What?"

"Eternity is a blessing for those who are surrounded by their loved ones, yet a curse for those who are trapped in this jail." Zhao MingAn's gaze swept the inhumane environment.

"But why can't I feel his presence?" Chu NianZhi knitted his eyebrows.

"He's been here for nobody knows how long. He's merged with the surroundings." Zhao MingAn glanced at the other alley.

"Then... What should we do?" Chu ShuZhi asked the younger man.

"Let's free this person from this eternity of suffering," Zhao MingAn gulped.

"How?" Zhao YunLan asked.

"Kill him."

"Huh?" Everyone frowned, whipping their faces to Zhao MingAn.

"What do you mean by killing him? You said yourself this man has an eternal life." Shen YeZun knitted his eyebrows.

"There is one way..." Zhao MingAn grabbed Shen YeZun's hand. His eyes glared at the figure that approached them in slow motion. "Run!" He suddenly screamed as he dragged Shen YeZun the other way.

"What?" Everyone was taken aback by the sudden outburst.

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"Stabbed you in the back?" Da Qing frowned. "Is he the one who makes you hate the military?"

Sha Ya shifted her gaze to Da Qing. This yashou was somewhat sharp. Despite the story she heard about how Zhao YunLan appointed him, which seemed an arbitrary move, he made a good decision. "Yes, he is."

"You?" Shen YongZheng stared at Sha Ya. "Once a soldier?" He frowned.

"Have you ever heard about the Stealth Eagle troop?" Sha Ya asked the general. "Member of the second battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment."

Shen YongZheng's breath stuck in his throat as he answered, "Yes. They said the troop commander betrayed the soldiers, leading them to their deaths."

"I was the commander of the troop, General Shen. At that time, I was called Second Lieutenant Sha LiXiang." Sha Ya clenched her jaws. "And the one who betrayed my troop was not me." She glared at Ding Dun. "It was him."

"Huh?" Shen YongZheng whipped his head at Ding Dun. He did not need any answer from the man as Ding Dun's smirk confirmed Sha Ya's words.

"Oh, holy dried fish," Da Qing was aghast.

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"Where are you going? Ah Ming!" Zhao YunLan screamed, but the annoying young man disappeared behind an intersection.

"Zhao YunLan, let's go." Shen Wei grabbed the man to run.

Everybody followed them to run without a second thought. They all chased Zhao MingAn, only to find the empty alley at the intersection. "They run this way, right?" Chu ShuZhi stared at the dark space, but his ears demanded confirmation.

"That's..." Chu NianZhi did not have a chance to answer as other voices echoed behind them.

"Hungry... Food... Flesh..."

The group turned their heads around. Their eyes widened when they saw many similar creatures crawl from several alleys.

"This is bad." Chu NianZhi moved his hands, creating webs to stop the scary figures. The figures stopped. Their hands and feet were kept moving, but their bodies were stuck in the net.

"Why don't I think about it?" Chu ShuZhi smiled at his brother. He moved his hands and created other webs to support his brother.

However, their relief was short-lived. All the power that was thrown at those "creatures" did not affect them. Those people tore the web, trampled those thin yet powerful treads to the wet ground, and charged at them. Chu ShuZhi did not back down. He threw his energy balls at the skeleton people. The balls hit those people without restraint, pushing them backwards. But... Temporarily.

"Hell no," Chu NianZhi muttered when the people lifted their faces. Red shine glared from their eyes as they absorbed the power that was thrown at them. "Stop that, Ge," he screamed at his elder brother.

Chu ShuZhi did not need the second command as he also witnessed the creepy scene. Shen Wei took over the battle. Instead of throwing his power, he used nature's force. The wind gusted around them, rotating around the stinky skeleton people and crushing them. The sounds of breaking bones and horrible screams echoed in the place. They had no heart to listen, yet they knew that was the only option.

The whining noises were the only thing to hear after the wind force stopped. Those people crumbled to the ground. But again, temporarily. Other cracking bones' voices filled the space once again as they fixed their broken bones, and the scary people pushed their bodies on their feet. This time, fury raged throughout their entire being.

"This is not good," Zhu Jiu gulped.

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"But... Sha LiXiang died after she killed her entire troop." Shen YongZheng stared at Zhao XinChi to confirm his memory.

"Yes. That's what supposedly happened back then." Zhao XinChi did not deny the old general's words. "Unless..." He shifted his gaze from Sha Ya to Ding Dun. "There is another story," he said.

Shen YongZheng took a deep breath. "Seems like we have so many discussions to do. Too bad, we have no time for any." He scrutinized Ding Dun's calm appearance. "Can you hold him until we return?" He asked the people who stood behind him.

"Don't worry, Sir," Sha Ya smirked. "I've been waiting for this moment for so long already."

"That's..." Shen YongZheng sighed. "Are you sure you'll be able to control yourself?" He asked. "I don't know what happened in the past, but I need you both alive for the investigation."

"We are here with her, Sir," Zhu Hong assured the senior general.

"Rest assured, Sir." Old Wu nodded at Shen YongZheng.

"Old man... I'm leaving." Shen YongZheng patted Zhao XinChi's shoulder. "Let's go." He ran toward the frozen lake.

"Yes." Lin Jing and Da Qing ran behind him.

"Wait for me!" Guo ChangCheng nearly sprinted to follow the three when a hand stopped him.

"You stay. I'll go," The old regent said.

"I don't want to stay behind." This time, Guo ChangCheng clutched the Regent's sleeve. "I'm also an SID member."

"You..." the Regent sighed. "All right." He grabbed Guo ChangCheng's collar. "Be careful," he said to Sha Ya before he took off. "This man has so many things kept under his sleeves."

"Don't worry, Sir." Sha Ya did not take her eyes from Ding Dun. "I know you bring your troops. Call them out. Let's finish this," She said to Ding Dun as the Regent fled the spot with Guo ChangCheng.

"What?" Zhu Hong peered around. Her eyes widened as hundreds of people in black outfits appeared from the dense trees. "There are soldiers here? Why can't I realize that?" She asked.

"That's because they are DiXing special troops." Old Wu stood in his highest stance. "They are called 'the shadow'. The most well-trained soldiers."

"No way..." Sang Zan prepared his stance. "Is this why General Shen did not realize their presence?"

"No..." Zhao XinChi replied. "Shen YongZheng knew they were here, but he spared them. He will never fight his own soldiers unless he has a sound reason to do so. The problem is... He has no time on his side to investigate this case. Our enemy is not just these people but also time."

"It means, we should deal with them ourselves." Fourth Uncle stood next to Zhao XinChi.

"Yes..." Zhao XinChi nodded, plunging his walking stick into the ground.

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"How can they do that?" Zhao YunLan screamed. "That should be illegal."

"Do you remember how Ma TiHua never saw wounds as a threat?" Shen Wei returned the question. "Even after your soul gun bullets hit him, he returned as if nothing happened."

Zhao YunLan gulped, lowering his head. "You are right." He glanced at the weapon strapped on his waist. "Seems like this weapon is useless, too."

Suddenly, a roar echoed from beyond their heads. "Zhu Jiu!" Chu NianZhi threw his web to protect the man from something falling through the high plants - the skeletal human. But that human fell between Zhao YunLan and Shen Wei.

The figure pushed himself off the ground and charged at Zhao YunLan. "Zhao YunLan," Shen Wei warned his lover.

Zhao YunLan automatically pulled his soul gun and shot the human right in the head although he knew that would not kill the figure. "At least, it will slow it down," he said when the figure fell to the ground.

But...

"It's not moving." Zhu Jiu stared at the creature. He was ready to grab Zhao YunLan out of that place.

"What?" Shen Wei frowned. He poked the figure with his foot and yes, the figure did not move. Shen Wei peered at Zhao YunLan. "Do you think what I think?"

"Yeah," Zhao YunLan nodded, scrutinizing his weapon. "Let's try." He pointed at the skeletal humans who were still trying to fix their bones. Five noises of a shooting gun echoed. Beyond their expectations, the five people Zhao YunLan shot fell to the ground in a single shot.

"What?" Zhu Jiu was agape. "Then how did Ma TiHua survive from your weapon? You shot him six times?"

"Ma TiHua is a powerful mind control. That could be the factor," Zhao YunLan muttered. But his eyes jiggled as he doubted his own words.

"Or?" Zhu Jiu caught the doubt.

"The other way is impossible." Zhao YunLan looked at Zhu Jiu.

"Hungry..."

Zhu Jiu did not have a chance to ask further as voices rumbled from all directions around them. "Damn!" Zhu Jiu cursed. "Seems like the gunshot attracts them."

"What should we do now? I can't possibly reload my gun that fast." Zhao YunLan did not even less panick.

"Let's break their bones," Shen Wei answered.

"Da Ge!" Shen Wei prepared himself to attack when Shen YeZun screamed from the alley behind them.

"YeZun?" Shen Wei turned around. "What are you doing?" He shouted when his younger brother dragged a skeletal human.

"Move!" YeZun screamed back. He ran passing the group and stabbed a skeletal human who charged at him with the skeletal human's nails.

"What in the world?" Chu ShuZhi was agape when blood gushed out of the stabbing wound.

"YeZun." Shen Wei dragged his brother while ripping YeZun away from the skeleton human. "What are you doing?" He checked his younger brother's body.

"MingAn said that poison should be fought with a poison. Only eternal people can kill their peers." Shen YeZun's eyes glinted as he explained.

"He doesn't attack you?" Shen Wei was more worried about his brother.

"No... I make him weak before I take him here," Shen YeZun smiled like a proud kid.

"So... Is this what Xiao Zhao said about killing Ma TiHua?" Chu ShuZhi grabbed one skeletal man nearby, using him to kick and punch the other skeletal humans.

"That makes sense." Chu NianZhi grabbed another skeletal human and helped his brother, smiling.

"Where is Ah Ming now?" Zhao YunLan asked YeZun.

"We found Ma TiHua..." Shen YeZun answered. "MingAn told me to find you."

"What?" Zhao YunLan screamed. "And you just tell us now?"

"We are in the middle of a crisis. It's not like he can just tell us everything in one go." Shen Wei stood for his brother.

"Let's find him now," Zhu Jiu said as he threw the skeleton human he held.

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"These soldiers are well-trained," Zhu Hong said as she gasped in tiredness.

"What did he offer you to make you betray your nation?" Old Wu shouted at the soldiers who fought him.

"They are not betraying their nation, Officer Wu. They are under control," Sha Ya answered Old Wu's question. "Just like my old troop." She gritted her teeth.

"What?" Fourth Uncle frowned. "Who the hell is the one who makes them like this?"

"It's Ma TiHua." Zhao XinChi clenched his jaws. "Who else?"

"Then... We can't kill them, can we?" Sang Zan stepped backward. He was doubtful about what he had to do.

"We can't," Fourth Uncle answered. "They don't even know what they're doing."

"We should wake them up," Zhu Hong shouted at her uncle.

"I can't," Fourth Uncle screamed in desperation. "I don't know what kind of trigger Ma TiHua put in them so that he can lock their conscience to this extent."

"How can we wake them then?" Wang Zheng asked.

"I don't know..." Fourth Uncle replied.

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"Are you sure he was going this way?" Zhao YunLan glanced at the man who walked beside Shen Wei. "I feel like we're walking around in circles since earlier."

"Yes." Shen YeZun nodded. "But..." He stopped at an intersection, looking around. "Now, I'm confused. All ways look the same."

"What?" Everyone halted their steps in shock. Why did Shen Wei's smart younger brother act like a stupid in this crucial moment?

"YeZun..." Shen Wei frowned.

"Ah... I remember I think that way." YeZun pointed at the right alley. He awkwardly trudged toward an unknown direction.

"Are you sure?" Zhao YunLan squinted his eyes at YeZun.

"Yes-"

"Where do you think you are going?" Suddenly, a group of people emerged from the alley YeZun walked into. Glints of flashlights marked who they were.

"Father, Sir..." Shen YeZun and Shen Wei could recognize the familiar voice from miles away.

"How?" Zhao YunLan could not even finish his question.

"What are you planning?" Instead of answering Zhao YunLan, Shen YongZheng glared at his youngest son.

"I... I..."

"What happened?" Shen Wei asked his stuttering brother.

"Da Ge... I..."

"Are you leading us in the wrong way?" Zhao YunLan caught the situation faster.

"YeZun... Why?" As his father and his lover agreed in one term, Shen Wei had no doubt about their opinion.

"I..."

"Maybe this can help." Da Qing handed the scroll to Zhao YunLan.

"What's this?" Zhao YunLan took the scroll, beckoning to Lin Jing for light.

"Just read it," Da Qing gulped.

Zhao YunLan opened the scroll. His eyes scrutinized what was written inside. His eyes widened when he reached the last section. To the face painted on the bamboo paper. "No... This... This is impossible." His trembling hands nearly dropped the scroll. The face was too familiar to him. The real face of the astronomer was.

"What?" Shen Wei was agape. "Where did you find this scroll?"

"The Hanga tribe's archive chamber," Lin Jing answered.

"After all these years, why do they just give us now?" Chu ShuZhi was not less upset.

"Maybe because it happened too long ago, nobody remembers it." Shen YongZheng took a deep breath. "The Hanga tribe lives in seclusion. Their elders are very old and sickly. Sang Zan and Wang Zheng were born with memories of their past life, but they were born around twenty-some years ago..."

"This is my fault..." the old regent pressed his forehead. "I was too focused on the DiJun booklet and my people so I missed the most important detail. If only I realized this a little bit earlier..."

"But... But his face... Their faces are very different." Chu NianZhi darted his flashlight at the scroll, trying to find an excuse. His eyes must have played a trick.

"That... I also can't give you any explanation." The old regent lowered his gaze. "The last time I met him was when he asked about the place of the two chambers."

Zhao YunLan staggered. Now, everything made sense. The reason why his brother cried in the corner, why his brother persisted in chasing Ma TiHua although YeZun was already with them, and why Ma TiHua survived his soul bullets. "We have the same souls," he muttered.

"Zhao YunLan..." Shen Wei grabbed his lover's shoulder.

"Where is he?" Zhao YunLan glared at Shen YeZun, ignoring his surroundings. "Where is he? Answer me!" He screamed at the timid man.

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Zhao MingAn strode into the only bright place in the entire labyrinth. The center. The place between the two chambers. The place where even time could not touch. He stared at the lady in white who was already waiting for him. Gwang Li. But the problem was, Gwang Li was not the only person there.

"So... You are finally here... My this-era self." Ma TiHua said as a young man strode into a stone chamber. Ye Zun and several cyborgs surrounded him.

"I know what you want." Zhao MingAn gritted his teeth. "Let's end it here," he growled. Thick black fur appeared on his arms as the muscles bulged and sharp nails sprouted out.

"Very well..." Ma TiHua smirked. "I want it so hard, but it doesn't mean I will make it easy." He beckoned to the cyborgs.

"Do you really think I'm that weak?" Zhao MingAn thundered.

Ma TiHua laughed heartily. "Are you sure you can do it?"

"Scientist Zhao..."

"Shut up." Zhao MingAn cut Gwang Li's words. "You have had the entire time to tell us, but you didn't. You lost your right to say anything."

"Ah Ming!" Zhao MingAn was nearly swung his claws when Zhao YunLan called him.

"Ge?" Zhao MingAn glanced at his lover, but YeZun could only lower his gaze.

"So, this is what you're planning?" Zhao YunLan strode inside, but his body bumped something at the entrance. "What is it?" He smacked the invisible barrier.

"What?" Shen Wei caressed the energy to find the opening. "Madame Gwang?" He glared at the lady in white.

"It isn't her," YeZun said.

"What?" Everyone stared at the man. Shen YeZun trudged into the chamber, passing the barrier as if it were nothing.

"YeZun?" Shen Wei could not believe his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Ge. I'm sorry Father." YeZun's tears fell as he lowered his gaze.

"Why?" Shen Wei asked.

"MingAn asked for my support and I agreed."

"YeZun..." Shen YongZheng gulped. "Don't do this, son. We can find another way," he pleaded.

"There is no other way, Father. I'm so sorry." YeZun closed his eyes.

"Can we just bang the barrier?" Lin Jing was frustrated.

"We can't do it without hurting YeZun." Shen Wei was not less stressed.

"You can't defeat that man alone!" Zhao YunLan screamed in desperation. "Can you see his bodyguards?"

"They won't have a chance to do anything, Ge." Zhao MingAn glanced at his brother. "They are moved by a special chip that will lose its power if that monster dies." Zhao MingAn glared at Ma TiHua.

"Enough yapping." Ma TiHua cut the prolonged argument. "You said yourself. Let's finish this." He stared back at Zhao MingAn.

"Gladfully." Zhao MingAn stretched his fingers.

"YeZun, I'm sorry." Shen Wei lifted his hand, creating an energy ball. But when he threw the ball, the barrier absorbed the energy.

"What?" Everyone was agape.

"YeZun... Don't do this..." Shen Wei pleaded.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry, Ge."

"Ah Ming. Stop it. You can't touch him without those immortals outside." Zhao YunLan reminded the young man.

"Yes. How can you kill that man without the immortals?" Da Qing screamed.

Zhao MingAn smiled as he peered at his brother. "I can..." He gulped.

Shen YongZheng's face fell as something dawned on him. "No... No... Don't do it, son! Zhao MingAn!" He screamed when Zhao MingAn lifted his claws. "Madame Gwang, do something!" He shouted at the lady in white.

"What? What happened?" Zhao YunLan was confused at the old general's overreaction.

"He will kill himself," Shen YongZheng answered.

"What?" Everyone frowned.

"When I hit the old YeZun, YeZun got hurt, too. People in this dimension are linked by fate."

"Ah Ming!" Zhao YunLan banged the barrier.

"YeZun, open this!" Shen Wei screamed. "What are you doing?"

"Ugh!"

Another voice echoed from inside the chamber. A voice filled with pain. Zhao YunLan slumped to the ground when Zhao MingAn stabbed his own heart. Meanwhile, at another corner, Ma TiHua touched his chest. Blood gushed out from the hole that was somehow there. Ye Zun caught him before Ma TiHua fell and hid the man in his hug.

"Shhh..." Ye Zun whispered. "Your fight is done. It's time to sleep." He caressed Ma TiHua's hair.

"Yeah..." Ma TiHua snorted as he gasped for air. "It's time to rest."

"All is done, Ge," Zhao MingAn smiled at his brother before he fell to the ground. "I mend my sins. The reparation is paid," he whispered.

Everyone froze. Nobody made any noise as Zhao MingAn's body tumbled to the ground. Only YeZun's muffled cry echoed in the silence...

Nemesis... was a Goddess of vengeance, retribution, and balance. She was known for meting out punishment. The only question was... Should the reparation paid by those who never committed the crime to those who never suffer?

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Picture credit to Sourav Maity

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