Chapter 652: Lightning!

“Aowu, oh fu...”

“Zhi, jiji, zhi!”

Hao Yun and the mouse were locked in fierce combat; the flying long hairs belonged to Hao Yun, the short ones to the mouse. A few drops of bright red blood dripped from Hao Yun’s nose—one of the few places unprotected by fur—and became a prime target for the mouse, staining its snout and mouth area as if it had stolen a dragon fruit.

“Damn, this speed... I can’t keep up!”

Zhang Su arrived at the edge of the battle, feeling up close the fight between Hao Yun and the mouse—he saw only two whirlwinds spinning in place. Pure eyesight couldn’t track their speed at all; only the white mist allowed him to catch their movements, and his mind processed the images fast enough—but his body’s functions simply couldn’t match those of two awakened animals!

He dared not intervene rashly—he might end up helping the enemy, and give Hao Yun a fatal slash by accident.

“Where did this mouse come from? Try using mental control!”

Ju Wuying appeared beside Zhang Su like a ghost, whispering softly—her suggesting this meant she had no confidence in joining the fight either.

“Wait—I just figured it out!”

Zhang Su raised a finger, frowning sharply, then blurted: “Lightning! Is that you?”

Woken abruptly from a dream, he vaguely remembered someone mentioning a mouse—but hadn’t fully grasped it in the heat of the moment. Now, the cold wind brushed his face, and the memory surfaced clearly.

Paa...

The evenly matched battle finally shifted the moment Zhang Su shouted “Lightning.”

The mouse froze for an instant—and in that damned moment, Hao Yun’s plump paw struck like lightning, slapping the mouse clean away like a cannonball hurling into a slope!

Puh, papap, pa, gulu gulu...

“How did you know...”

Ju Wuying stared at Zhang Su in surprise, puzzled how he knew the mouse’s name.

“Later—I’ll explain later... Hao Yun, stop! Stop!”

Zhang Su had no time to explain to Ju Wuying. Seeing Hao Yun open its bloody maw to press the attack, he rushed forward: “Lightning—are you Lightning from Dragonhead Camp?”

“Zhi... zhi zhi.”

The mouse had been flung over twenty meters, rolled countless times on the ground, and now staggered to its feet, dazed and shaking its head. Seeing it wasn’t the big dog approaching, but a human who knew its name, it did something startlingly human: it covered its head with both front paws, shook it, then lifted its head and nodded at the questioner.

“You really are Lightning... No, no, you’ve won! Win and don’t keep fighting!”

Zhang Su grabbed Hao Yun’s tail as it charged forward, furious and ready to resume battle—like a parent pulling apart squabbling children.

Hao Yun turned to look at Zhang Su, baring its teeth in frustration, raised one paw to point at its own nose—where several bloody streaks were clearly visible, its white fur around the mouth stained red—and then barked loudly: “Wang wang, wang!”

The barks brimmed with resentment. Hao Yun pointed its paw toward Cui Leng Xuan, then gestured to its mouth, followed by a strong, flexing motion.

“No need, no need... Calm down, don’t be angry. Go find Xiao Shan Auntie—have her treat your wounds. Good boy. Today you did a great job—you’ll get a tasty reward tonight. Go on.”

Zhang Su crouched down and stroked Hao Yun’s head back and forth. He understood now: Hao Yun wanted that half-chicken with the stimulant effect—it had meant to go all out against the little mouse.

Feeling his master’s soothing touch, Hao Yun’s rapid panting gradually calmed. It shot a bloodshot glance at the mouse nearby, bared its teeth in a warning, then turned and sprinted toward Xiao Xingyun—vanishing into the darkness in the blink of an eye.

“Hundreds of people in the camp don’t fight—how come your awakened animals just attack each other on sight?”

Zhang Su helplessly pinched his temples, looking at the mouse, now recovered from its dizziness: “Hey, are you really the hamster Lightning from Dragonhead Camp?”

Whether due to awakening or some mutation, Lightning’s body was larger than a normal hamster’s—especially elongated, no longer the traditional fluffy ball, but trending toward a true rat’s shape, less cute...

Lightning sat on the ground. Suddenly sensing someone approaching, it went instantly alert. Seeing the newcomer showed no hostility, it sat upright again, nodded at Zhang Su, then pointed eastward.

“It seems...” Ju Wuying frowned at the mouse Lightning, uncertain: “It feels deeply sad.”

Zhang Su’s heart lurched. He spoke low and grave: “Lightning—did something happen at Dragonhead Camp?”

Lightning’s front paws hung limp. It sniffed its tiny nose, then nodded.

“Damn, Brother Hao Ren, it’s not...”

Pan Guoliang, seeing the mouse’s condition, gave Zhang Su a strange look.

Zhang Su’s face twitched. “Was it an explosion?” “Zhi!”

Lightning let out a shrill cry, leapt into the air, hugged itself with both front paws, then flung them upward. Landing, it hugged its head, hunched its rear, and trembled violently, then dashed around wildly, waving its paws like a shaman in a trance.

Zhang Su and the others exchanged puzzled glances. Just as he was about to tell Ju Wuying to call her subordinate Zhou Haotian, hurried footsteps came from afar.

“Zhi zhi, zhi!”

As Zhang Su recognized the approaching figure as Shen Linrui, Lightning let out a flurry of squeaks, shot past him in a blur, and dashed straight for Shen Linrui.

“Ah, it really is you, little guy—no, how, how did you find your way here?”

Shen Linrui clearly had rushed out in a panic—his bootlaces were untied, his hat forgotten, his shoulder-length hair disheveled from sleep.

His bond with Lightning was unique. Hearing the frantic squealing earlier, he’d been startled and wanted to check—but hesitated, thinking it wasn’t his place to interfere in another camp. Yet the sounds grew more and more like Lightning’s... so he came out.

“Zhi, wawa, zhi zhi, wa...”

Seeing Shen Linrui, Lightning saw a family member. It crawled onto his boots and wailed, sobbing softly but with profound, heart-wrenching emotion. Tiny tears streamed down its matted fur from the fight.

Shen Linrui was stunned. He looked questioningly at Zhang Su and the others approaching: “This... Lord Yama, what’s going on? Lightning was fighting that dog earlier—is it hurt?”

“They were just playing—no serious injuries!” Zhang Su waved his hand, his expression grim: “Ask it about Dragonhead Camp—your camp is in trouble.”

???!! Shen Linrui’s heart sank. He bent down, gently lifted the weeping Lightning into his hands, about to speak—when more footsteps came from behind.

“Captain Shen, what’s wrong?”

“It’s so late, and it’s so lively—what’s going on?”

Several Dragonhead Camp members, awakened by the commotion, came out. They all lived in Qingfeng Xiaozhu, not far from where Hao Yun and Lightning had fought.

“Don’t make noise—I need to ask Lightning something first!”

Shen Linrui shook his head at his companions.

“What? Lightning?”

“How did Lightning get here...”

“To find Shen, of course—he’s half its master.”

The murmurs of the others didn’t reach Shen Linrui—but Zhang Su heard every word.

“Lightning—tell me, what happened to Dragonhead Camp?”

Shen Linrui gently stroked Lightning’s cheek, then tenderly combed its fur.

Lightning lifted a paw and lightly pushed away Shen Linrui’s fingers, then leapt to the ground and began its abstract performance again.

“No, no no...”

Shen Linrui understood Lightning’s gestures better than anyone. After watching a moment, he staggered backward.

“Captain Shen, what’s wrong...”

The other Dragonhead Camp members were startled by his condition and rushed to support him—this was a steep downhill slope; if he fell, he’d roll like a gourd.

“No... how could this happen... it’s over, it’s all over...”

Supported under the armpits by his comrades, Shen Linrui’s legs felt weak. His eyes stared blankly at Lightning still performing, muttering “it’s over” over and over, tears streaming down his cheeks, his lips trembling.

“Ah!”

Zhang Su hadn’t understood Lightning’s abstract performance—but like solving a math problem, he could reverse-engineer the answer. The truth was clear.

He whispered to Ju Wuying and Pan Guoliang: “Dragonhead Camp was blown up.”

“Oh my God...”

“I said yesterday’s explosion was toward Shanhai District—turns out it was! Damn!”

Pan Guoliang’s face twisted in shock. Tianshan Isle and Shanhai District were nearly forty kilometers apart in a straight line. Such a powerful shockwave from that distance—impossible to imagine what Shanhai District looked like now! (End of chapter)