Chapter 497: Leave First

The owners of those eyes—are Monkeys.

One, two, three… no, more.

They lie on the ceiling pipes, on the crossbeams, behind the vent grates.

Yellow fur, round eyes, that signature banana‑shaped tuft on top of their heads.

Each one watches them quietly.

No call.

No movement.

Just staring like that.

"Jiaojiao…"

Finally, one of them made a sound.

Very light, like a probe.

Then—

"Jiaojiao Jiaojiao Jiaojiao—!!!"

The ceiling exploded instantly!

The Monkeys poured down from the ceiling like a yellow waterfall!

They jumped from the pipes, swung down from the crossbeams, and squeezed out of the vents!

In the blink of an eye, the entrance of the UndergroundParkingLot was filled with the yellow Monkey Horde!

"Run—!!!"

San Yue Qi grabbed Lin, turned, and rushed deeper into the parking lot!

Behind them, a dense thrum of footsteps sounded like drums!

"Jiaojiao Jiaojiao Jiaojiao—!!!"

The cry echoed in the enclosed parking lot, making ears ache!

San Yue Qi sprinted with Lin, weaving through rows of cars, dodging massive pillars, charging toward another exit of the parking lot!

Lin was dragged, stumbling, her legs soft as noodles, but survival instinct forced her to keep moving her legs.

"Why are there Jiaojiao here—!!!" Lin shouted in despair.

"How would I know—!!!" San Yue Qi shouted back.

The two burst around a corner; ahead was a fire door!

San Yue Qi pushed it open with one palm, rushed in—another long corridor, flanked by more parking spots packed with dust‑covered cars.

Behind them, the Monkey Horde had already given chase!

"Jiaojiao Jiaojiao Jiaojiao—!!!"

San Yue Qi glanced back—

Those Monkeys ran at lightning speed, leaping atop cars, swinging between pillars, far faster than they were!

At this rate they'd be caught!

San Yue Qi gritted her teeth, a thought sparked—

"Zawa Rudo—!!!"

Time Stop.

The world froze.

The Monkeys' motions were frozen mid‑air—some mid‑leap, some mid‑run, some with mouths open, sharp teeth exposed.

Each expression was a blank stare tinged with something eerie.

San Yue Qi gasped, looking around.

Numbers… at least a hundred.

She pulled Lin and kept running forward.

Footsteps sounded unusually clear in the paused time.

They ran through the corridor, up the slope, reaching another exit of the UndergroundParkingLot—

Only three seconds of time left!

Too late!

She turned, looking around—there was an abandoned van nearby, its windows shattered.

Two seconds!

She shoved Lin into the van, then slipped in herself, slamming the door shut!

One second!

Time Resume!

"Jiaojiao Jiaojiao Jiaojiao—!!!"

The outside cries exploded instantly!

The Monkey Horde surged through the corridor, up the slope, swarming around the van!

San Yue Qi and Lin curled up in the van's back seat, holding their breath, motionless.

Outside, a dense thrum of footsteps rang around the vehicle, occasional Monkeys leapt onto the roof with a "Bang", then jumped off.

Lin's body trembled, biting her lips hard, daring not to make a sound.

San Yue Qi held her tighter.

Outside, the Monkey Horde's cries grew farther, seeming to chase in another direction.

A very long time passed.

After a long time, San Yue Qi felt her legs were numb.

The sounds outside finally faded.

San Yue Qi cautiously stuck half her head out of the car window—

The parking lot was empty, cars parked quietly, with no Monkeys, no movement.

Only the emergency lights in the distance were flickering.

San Yue Qi let out a long sigh and slumped back into her seat.

Lin also slumped, looking like a puddle of mud.

"Going… going, Jiaojiao?" Lin asked weakly.

"Probably… gone," San Yue Qi replied weakly.

The two just lay there, neither wanting to move.

After a while, Lin suddenly spoke:

"San Yue Jie Jiaojiao…"

"Hmm?"

"Your Time Stop… really impressive, Jiaojiao…"

San Yue Qi gave a wry smile: "It's impressive, but you can't keep using it; overuse makes you dizzy."

Lin nodded, then asked again:

"So what do we do next, Jiaojiao?"

San Yue Qi was silent for a moment.

What to do?

She didn't know either.

Outside, a Blackening Archer was hunting them, countless strange Monkey Horde were chasing them, and a mysterious mirror world could swallow them at any moment.

And she was just an Assassin.

San Yue Qi took a deep breath and sat upright.

"First, let's leave here," she said, "find a safe place, then figure out a plan."

Lin nodded.

The two carefully opened the car doors, stuck out their heads, and after confirming no Monkeys, they slowly climbed out.

The parking lot was very quiet.

So quiet it was a bit frightening.

San Yue Qi gripped the Ice Bow tightly, Lin also clutched a gem, and the two, one ahead of the other, walked slowly toward the other side of the parking lot.

As they walked, San Yue Qi suddenly remembered something.

"Lin, that Jiaojiao… can you get rid of it?"

Lin was stunned for a moment, then tried to speak:

"I'll try… Jiaojiao!"

She covered her mouth, wanting to cry but without tears.

San Yue Qi patted her shoulder and said earnestly:

"It's fine, you'll get used to it."

Lin let out a wail.

The two continued forward.

Behind them, in the darkness of the parking lot, several round eyes lit up again.

"Jiaojiao…"

San Yue Qi and Lin finally found an exit.

It was a fire door warped by the blast, half open, with harsh light pouring in from outside.

San Yue Qi cautiously pushed the door open a crack and looked outside—

Then she was completely stunned.

"What's wrong?" Lin whispered from behind.

San Yue Qi gave no answer, only widened the crack a bit.

Lin leaned over, peering through the gap—

And she was stunned as well.

Outside was no longer the city they knew.

Skyscrapers had become ruins, broken reinforced concrete smashed as if by a giant's hand and carelessly tossed.

The streets had vanished, replaced by massive pits and piles of rubble as tall as mountains.

Flame burned amid the ruins, thick black smoke billowing upward.

Occasionally a car exploded, emitting a dull boom.

The whole city seemed to have been bombarded countless times.

"This… this is…" Lin's voice trembled.

San Yue Qi's gaze swept over the ruins, landing in the distance—

There, two figures were locked in fierce combat.

Golden sword light clashed with black sword light repeatedly, each collision unleashing terrifying shockwaves that made the surrounding debris collapse again.

The two figures darted through the ruins, moving so fast they were almost invisible.

But San Yue Qi saw clearly.

A figure clad in silver-blue armor, blond hair fluttering in the wind—that was Saber, whom she knew.

Another wore black armor, the same blond hair, a black mask covering half the face.

Her movements mirrored Saber's, but more violent, more ruthless.

Two Sabers.

San Yue Qi's brain froze for a second.

(Two Sabers?)

(What's going on?)

Before she could think further, her peripheral vision caught something.

In a corner of the ruins not far from the battlefield, a small figure was curled up.

Orange short hair, tattered uniform, the whole person hunched, leaning against a broken wall, motionless.

San Yue Qi narrowed her eyes, the Assassin's vision letting her see clearly—

That was Tengcun Lixiang.

Rin strained her eyes beside her, but could see nothing, only anxiously asking: "What did you see? What's going on?"

San Yue Qi swallowed: "It's Lixiang. She's right over there, close to the battlefield."

Rin's body stiffened.

She strained to look in the direction San Yue Qi pointed, but with her eyesight she could only see a blur of ruins.

"How is she?"

"Curled up, motionless, as if unconscious."

Rin fell silent.

Her brows knit tightly, her heart in fierce turmoil.

Tengcun Lixiang.

Though not especially close, she was one of the few friends she acknowledged.

But at the same time, she was also a Master.

She was Saber's Master.

She was a participant in the Holy Grail War.

She was an "enemy."