The old woman let out a long sigh of relief and finished the final stroke. Her originally strangely black hairs turned white all of sudden. Then, She staggered up. It seemed like she could no longer support herself from standing. The young woman quickly got up and help her to sit down.
Her appearance started to wither at a scary speed. She might look like an ordinary old lady before, but now she looked like a complete mummy.
A bloody red talisman cost her everything.
The old woman picked it up with her trembling hands, blood began to appear on the corner of her lips. However, there was a sign of relief on her face.
: “This is the most difficult Chu Clan's Talisman Mrs. Chu taught me. Mrs. Chu said that nobody could draw it. no one ... ... she said that, as long as we could draw it, it would prove that our Chu Clan’s Methods are not a heretical practice, and Shigong(1), the grand master of Chu Clan’s knowledge who also was also Mrs. Chu's dad, would be rest in peace ......"
“Nanny, stop… you…” The woman was holding the old woman tightly, tears fell down from her face onto the old woman's grey hair.
The old woman struggled to put the "Chu talisman" onto the bow, it seemed like she lost all her strength.
"Nanny is old now, Nanny is useless... Qian Er quick, use the method Nanny taught you to cast it on to the bow, quick..." the old woman said in a weak voice.
“ Ok Nanny…” the young woman wiped off the tears from her face and took over the talisman that the old woman used her life to make. She then quickly used the sword gesture while reciting a Chu Clan's incantation.
The talisman was slowly lifted up in the air in a swinging motion. As the young woman finished the incantations, the talisman instantly burst out bright light and flew towards the bow.
The bow also glowed in bright light for a few seconds before it went completely silent.
The old woman held on to the young woman's wrist tightly and said:” Qian Er, you have to remember that this talisman can only break the connection between the bow and that person temporarily. You must not let the bow get too close to that person. Otherwise, if the person is in its Zhen Shen (2. TL: original body)”, no one can stop it. Nothing can stop it. It may even “betray” you immediately! Do you understand?"
“Yes, nanny, don’t worry, no one will be able to take it away from me!” the young woman nodded her head and her eyes were filled with cold viciousness.
Despite the young woman said that the old woman still worried. She slowly took out a rectangular shape jade from her pocket and carefully placed it in the palm of the young woman and said in a weak tone:” Qian Er, this is our Chu Clan’s founder token. Mrs. Chu gave it to nanny before she passed away. Now nanny is passing it to you. In the future…. Future… Take the disciples who I taught for years with you when you go there. If they can do it. Just let them do it. You need to stay away from that person… stay away…”
The young woman nodded her head. She took the jade token, and the bow, then kowtowed to the old woman three times before she left the room.
The woman let out a long sigh and murmured:” Qian Er, Nanny did not know if Nanny helped you or …. ”
………………..
“ the people from the Academy of Sciences still has not arrived yet?” Zhang Zhexiu asked anxiously.
“Captain. The best biologists and analytical equipment are already on the way. They will be here shortly. the General Administration Department and the military have agreed that we must stall the insects until the biologists arrived. They emphasized that this is not a "suggestion," but an "order!" "A civil servant beside him quickly replied.
“Order, order…. All they know is orders! Do you know what we are dealing with? A fucking purple flame monster! What do I have? How can I stall it? Request more reinforcements from General Administration Department! We need at least rank A energy practitioners here or master Fan’s disciples. Just with our unit, we can’t do anything.” Zhang Zhexi’s forehead was covered with cold sweat.
“We have already requested. They will all be here soon.” the civil servant nodded his head.
Zhang Xiuxe frowned. The insects in the telescope were still rushing forward. He had used everything. The female journalist had told them the negotiation condition of the insects. However, after the request of removing the underground energy field was declined, the seven insects immediately changed their tactics. It changed from negotiation to try to flee the city while using the hostages as their shield...
If the fact that the insects knew how to "negotiate" with humans had a great impact on his worldview, then a red shell insect could even command a purple flame monster completely made him lost his mind.
…………………………..
Since the beginning of the apocalypse, the collection of various intelligence about the insect had proven that a purple flame monster was many levels higher than a red shell insect in the insect’s social structure. So how could such an absurd thing happen to a rigidly stratified race?
However, the fact was right in front of him. After receiving the insect’s bizarre negotiating request, the General Administration Department and the military had unprecedentedly and unanimously agreed to dispatch the best biological experts and equipment in Hong Kong to communicate with insects.
Many high-level Hong Kong government officials and influential scientists believed that it was a golden opportunity. Perhaps they could find the opportunity for a temporary peace. They really couldn't afford more wars. They needed time to breathe and recover.
Since the invasion of the insect, those aliens had never actively communicated with humans in any way, except slaughtering humans.
In the beginning, many scientists in southern China and Hong Kong suggested that the insect was just a low and bloodthirsty creature. Later, they gradually discovered that they were as smart as human beings.
Only when they discovered that did they attempted to communicate with insects hoping that it would bring peace between two races.
In fact, trying to communicate with insects was a nice way to put it. To be more exact, they were actually begging for a peace.
However, regardless of how many times and how hard the scientists in Hong Kong had tried, the insect in the creep area did not respond at all. There were only killings after killings.
And then, a large-scale war between the insects from the creep area and the insects from the spore forest broke out in the north of the insect’s creep area. The pressure in Hong Kong was greatly reduced all of sudden. With the fierce fighting between them continued to grow in intensity, the insects in the creep area had also stopped the large-scale attacks to Hong Kong. However, they still did not retreat. They just having Hong Kong surrounded.
At that time, the insects in the creep area were in a quite bad situation, because it had to deal with humans in the south and the spore forest in the north. So, based on how normal intelligent creatures would think, the scientists in Hong Kong thought that the insects in the creep area probably would want to accept a negotiation. Therefore, they sent out a “diplomat” in attempting to talk to the insects in the creep area. However, before the “diplomat” even entered the creep area, he was killed by the insect.
The scientists in Hong Kong were baffled by the insect’s behaviors, they did not know why the insects in the creep area would refuse to communicate with humans. There was once that they were losing so bad, that they were pushed all the way near Hong Kong. But even then, they still did not want to talk to humans.
That was why, When Zhang Xiuzhe the captain of the second unit of the energy practitioner department and the regiment commander Gu Feng separately reported to General Administration Department and the military headquarters about the insects requested for a negotiation, it instantly caused a huge stir in the high-ups of Hong Kong.
The heads of General Administration Department and the military were quickly brought together to discuss the previously abolished "peace" plan. On the other hand, many scientists had already prepared everything for this unprecedented negotiation.
Many pieces of equipment and many scientists and government officials were sent to the place where they discovered insects quickly. The entire Hong Kong city was in an uproar.
……………………...
Looking at the edge of the city was near, Chu Yunsheng was very excited. As long as they got out of the city, they might be able to dig into the ground again. At that time, so-called negotiation would no longer be important.
However, with his insect’s unique sensing organs, he suddenly detected a large number of human awakening warriors were trying to surround them.
Not only that, in a place far away from them, he could see many new types of tanks and combat vehicles as well as armed helicopters that hovering in the air.
"Are they going to start a fight?" Chu Yunsheng thought. But it can not be. Even if the higher-ups in Hong Kong did not care about the dozens of lives in his hands, there was no reason to attack them at this point.
No of them had killed any humans yet, all he requested was to leave the city. He had shown them enough sincerity that they were not here to cause any troubles. Besides, what was the point of killing seven insects? It would only cause more people to die unnecessarily. Chu Yunsheng was baffled.
"Mr. Insect, I think they want to communicate with you." Mani White said loudly when she saw Chu Yunsheng this red shell insect seemed a bit restless.
She was initially scared to death. However, when she found out that these insects not only did not suck her brain, but also took her as a hostage to request a negotiation! Her brain was short-circuited for almost ten minutes at the time!
When she finally accepted the facts, she was stunned by Chu Yunsheng’s series of human-like moves. Until now, she felt like nothing in this world would be able to surprise her anymore. Then, her unique professional sense told her that this moment would be permanently recorded in human history. of course, if humans still exist in the future.
Mani White was beside herself with joy. As a journalist, this was the moment she was dreaming of. So when she learned that those insects understood human language and they were not going to hurt her, she was constantly trying to find topics to talk to those insects.
“Communicate? With me? What for?” Chu Yunsheng was confused, they had already declined their request. What more they wanted to talk about? He stopped thinking about it and started to plan for the worst and looked for the direction which they could break out the fastest.
Maybe we can make a few noises to call for help? Chu Yunsheng thought. He clearly remembered that before he dug into the ground. The man called Wang Dafu told him that there were insects outside Hong Kong.
So he quickly decided that if humans really started to attack them. He would immediately ask little green to fly away to call for help.
“Are you sure that they understand us?” A man in his fifties, dressed in a black uniform and heavily armed, asked sternly. He was protected by several energy practitioners who were also wearing strange armors.
“Yes, but it is better to speak Mandarin.” Zhang Xiuzhe changed his dissatisfied expression and said sternly.
“Okay, you did a good job. Now, let me talk to them. ” The man nodded his head gently and then asked for a megaphone. He raised it. But paused for a few seconds before shouted at the insects that were getting closer and closer to them: "Hello. I am Huo Jiashan, the first deputy chief of General Administration Department Of Hong Kong. First of all, on behalf of Hong Kong, I can guarantee your safety..."
………………Translator's note………………...
1. Shifu means master or teacher. Shigong means teacher’s teacher or master’s master.
2. Zhen Shen means real body/main body/ true body/ original body. It implies a lot of things. As in the last chapter, the old woman mentioned about the bow didn't belong to this world. The old woman believed that the original owner of the bow was very powerful, so she could only hope that it was not it's original body.