Chapter 109: Dragon’s Wrath
When Su Yao phased down to street level, she spotted a familiar figure. Xie Jing was shuffling down the sidewalk. Her arm remained rigid in front of her as she stared straight ahead.
Su Yao fell into step beside her. “What are you doing?”
Xie Jing continued her slow shamble. “If I act like one of them, they will think I’m one of them. Then they will not attack me. It’s simple mimicry.”
A nearby zombie bumped into Xie Jing and shuffled past without aggression.
“You are relying on the observational skills of a mindless corpse. Their recognition may be based on spiritual decay. Your acting is a flawed strategy.”
“Perhaps,” Xie Jing mumbled. “But it’s working for now. And it’s less effort than fighting all of them.”
“You know, you’re basically one of them. You’re rotting inside and out.”
Xie Jing scowled. “I’d rather you didn’t bring that up.”
“Then do you have an idea on who caused this mess?” Su Yao asked.
Xie Jing shook her head. “I don’t know. I was just trying to avoid being bitten.”
A zombie lurched toward Su Yao, but she phased aside and let it stumble past. “This is a waste of time. I need to find the thief before the city collapses.” She turned to leave, but Xie Jing grabbed her arm.
“Wait. I saw something earlier. A man in a black coat near the sewer entrance. He was carrying a bag that glowed with golden light. I thought it was a prop, but now...” Xie Jing trailed off.
“Where did you see him?”
“By the old canal. But he vanished into the crowd.” Xie Jing released her arm. “Good luck. I’m going to find a safe place to decompose in peace.”
Su Yao phased away, reappearing on a rooftop overlooking the canal. The streets below were thick with zombies, but she focused on the sewer grate where Xie Jing had mentioned the man. A golden aura lingered in the air, confirming the dragon’s hoard had been there.
She dropped down to the sewer grate and spotted the glint of almost invisible wires crisscrossing the entrance. Spiritual energy emanated from them. She paused, analyzing the pattern.
“Crude but effective,” she muttered. “Pressure-sensitive wires linked to explosive talismans. And something else, a soul-draining array.”
She phased through the wires, reappearing inside the sewer tunnel. The air was thick with the stench of decay. More traps waited along the tunnel. Poisoned darts were concealed in the stone, while deceptive illusions hid pits beneath his feet and corrupted energy twisted through the darkness.
A zombie shambled toward her from the darkness, but it stepped on a hidden pressure plate. A volley of darts shot out, embedding themselves in the zombie’s chest. It collapsed, dissolving into black sludge.
Su Yao ignored it and continued toward the traps. “Whoever set these is paranoid. Or prepared.” She continued forward, disabling each trap with precise bursts of spiritual energy. A vortex imploded as she severed its core and a pitfall sealed itself when she rewrote the illusion.
After neutralizing a dozen traps, she reached a junction where the tunnel split. Scrawled on the wall in glowing paint was a message: “Turn back, fox.”
Su Yao snorted. “As if.” She phased through the wall and emerged into a larger chamber.
In the center, a man in a black coat was stuffing golden artifacts into a bag. He looked up, eyes wide.
“You!” he gasped.
“The gold,” Su Yao said. “Return it. Now.”
Su Yao’s eyes narrowed as she recognized the man’s spiritual signature, even through the grime and panic. “Wang Liang? I sent you to find a job. Why are you grave robbing?”
Wang Liang’s hands trembled. “I can’t return it! I need this capital to start a business! A legitimate enterprise!”
She took a step forward, the air around her crackling with restrained energy. “What business could possibly justify triggering a zombie apocalypse?”
“It is a venture that will generate immense wealth!” Wang Liang insisted. “I’ve identified a gap in the modern market! A service that caters to the unfulfilled desires of the overworked and undervalued!”
Su Yao raised an eyebrow. “Explain.”
“I’m creating an establishment where individuals pay a fee to simulate employment,” Wang Liang declared. “They will wear professional attire, sit at desks, and engage in the appearance of productive labor without any actual work output. It provides the illusion of purpose and status, alleviating the existential dread of idleness.”
Su Yao stared at him. “You stole a dragon’s hoard to open a pretend office for bored mortals.”
“Precisely! The startup costs are substantial, but the ROI will be astronomical!” Wang Liang beamed.
Su Yao studied Wang Liang for a moment. “Your plan is illogical. Let us test its viability through combat. If you can withstand me, it may have merit. If you fall, it’s as foolish as it sounds.”
Wang Liang clutched the bag of gold to his chest. “That is barbaric! Business proposals should be evaluated through market analysis and financial projections.”
“Your analysis is flawed from the start,” Su Yao said. Her spiritual energy flared around her fists. “Now, defend yourself.”
She phased forward, appearing in front of him. Wang Liang raised a hand and summoned a shield of dark smoke. Su Yao’s punch shattered it, sending him stumbling back against the sewer wall.
“This proves nothing!” Wang Liang gasped, scrambling to his feet. “Violence isn’t a valid business metric!”
“It is the only metric that matters here,” Su Yao replied, launching a kick that he dodged by dissolving into shadows. He reappeared behind her, but she was already turning. Her hand closed around his throat.
“The gold,” she demanded. Her grip tightened. “Now.”
Wang Liang struggled. “Wait! I can offer you a partnership! A stake in the company!”
Su Yao increased the pressure. “Your company is a fantasy. The gold belongs to the dragon. This fight is over.”
Wang Liang glared at Su Yao. “You don’t care about any dragon! This is about you wanting all the gold for yourself!”
“You are wrong. I don’t want the gold for myself.” He is right, of course. This has nothing to do with a dragon. I just want a fight, but I will not tell him that.
“I don’t believe you!” Wang Liang shouted, stepping back into a defensive stance. “This is a robbery! And if you’re robbing me, I’ve the right to defend myself! I will exert lethal force!”
“It is ironic to hear a robber complain about being robbed.” Finally. This should be entertaining.
Wang Liang’s form dissolved into shadows as he swung a fist wreathed in dark energy. Su Yao phased aside. The attack passed through where she had been. She reappeared behind him, her hand striking toward his back.
Her strike connected with his back. He grunted in pain but stood his ground. Then he turned to face her, a bitter smile on his face.
“I see it now,” he said, wiping a trickle of blood from his lip. “You swapped identities with Xie Jing. If I attack you, it will be perceived as domestic violence. I will be the abusive ex-husband, and you will play the victim in the media and the courts. You are a conniving fox, setting me up for a fall.”
Su Yao stared at him. I just wanted a fight.
“That isn’t my intention,” Su Yao said. “I care nothing for mortal legal systems.”
Wang Liang laughed. “Do you think I believe that? This is a clever trap, and I walked right into it. But I will not give you the satisfaction of a public scandal.” He raised his hands. “Take the gold. I yield.”
Su Yao stared at Wang Liang. “I can’t believe an ancient demon king who has consumed countless souls and dominated their powers would yield this easily. You were a ruler of ghosts, a being of terror.”
Wang Liang sighed, lowering his hands. “That was then. Now, in this modern era, reputation is everything. If word spreads that I’m an abusive man, no one will hire me. No investor will trust me with their funds. How can I start a business if society sees me as a monster? I can’t build my startup with that stigma.”
He is prioritizing mortal opinions over a rightful battle? How far he has fallen. Su Yao nodded once. “Your practicality is disappointing.”
Wang Liang straightened his coat. A grin spread across his face. “Wait. I’ve a better idea. Let us form an alliance. There is only one dragon and there are two of us. If we combine our strength, we can claim the hoard by right of conquest.”
Su Yao folded her arms. “The dragon’s hoard isn’t yours to claim, regardless of numbers. Your logic is flawed.”
“But think of the possible outcome,” Wang Liang pressed, gesturing with the bag of gold. “Together, we could also expand our influence. You handle the combat, I handle the business side. It’s a perfect partnership.”
Her eyes narrowed. “I’ve no interest in your business ventures. And the dragon’s rage has already spawned a zombie outbreak. Your ‘conquest’ would only worsen the situation.”
Wang Liang shrugged. “Then we deal with the dragon first. With your power and my strategic mind, it would be simple. After all, what is a dragon against two ancient beings?”
She took a step forward. “Your proposal is reckless. The dragon is a primordial force. I will not ally with a thief who causes chaos for personal gain.”
Wang Liang’s smirk widened. “Then what about teaming up with a friend? Surely even you see the value in that.”
“You are no friend of mine,” Su Yao said.
“Ah, I apologize. I forgot. Su Yao has no friends.”
“That is incorrect,” Su Yao replied. “I’ve a government consultant, a civilian informant, a business partner, a temporary ally, and a housekeeper. I also have a chat group.”
She listed them off. “The categorization is different, but the functional network exists. Your attempt to provoke me is as baseless as your business plan.”
Wang Liang straightened his shoulders. “I will fight the dragon alone. Then I will be known as a dragon slayer. Don’t interfere.”
“Why did you not attempt that before stealing the gold and provoking its anger?”
Wang Liang shrugged. “I didn’t expect the dragon to notice the theft. Or to overreact with such a dramatic zombie outbreak. But now that it’s enraged, it might be more reckless in battle. That gives me an advantage. A distracted opponent is easier to defeat.”
Su Yao considered his words. His reasoning is flawed, but his overconfidence might amuse me. “Proceed then. I will observe from a distance.”
Wang Liang gestured around the damp tunnel. “These sewers are more than they seem. Traveling through them can bring you to any part of the city. They connect to the undercity and Old Duwang.”
“I originally planned to use them to reach the port and sail to Macau so I could gamble with the dragon’s gold,” he continued. “I would have won enough to return the gold and keep a profit. But the dragon noticed the theft first, so that plan is no longer viable.”
“Your plan was flawed from the start. Gambling with stolen divine artifacts is no different from theft. And now your actions have caused a city-wide crisis.”
“It seemed like a good idea at the time. But with the dragon alerted, I’ve to face it directly. Will you still observe, or will you help?”
Su Yao looked at Wang Liang. “I will help you by praying for your success.” She clasped her hands together in a mock gesture and closed her eyes for a second before opening them. “There. My spiritual support is granted.”
Wang Liang rolled his eyes. “Your prayers are as useful as a screen door on a submarine.” He turned and began marching deeper into the sewer tunnel. The bag of gold was slung over his shoulder.
Su Yao fell into step behind him. The zombies shuffling in the passages around them paused and parted ways, allowing them to pass unhindered.
The tunnel sloped downward and the air grew damp and cold. Wang Liang glanced back at her. “You are still following? I thought you were only providing moral support.”
“I’m observing,” Su Yao replied. “Your inevitable failure will be educational.”
A rumbling growl echoed from ahead, vibrating through the stone walls. Wang Liang tightened his grip on the bag. “It seems the dragon is home.”
The distinct staccato of automatic gunfire and the clash of spiritual energy joined the rumbling growl. Wang Liang froze. His eyes widened. “What is that? Who is fighting the dragon?”
He rushed forward. Su Yao followed. They rounded a corner and saw a chaotic scene. The Jiao Long, its massive form coiled in the large chamber, was swatting at a group of fighters in tactical gear. They were firing enchanted bullets and throwing talismans, but the dragon’s scales deflected most of the attacks.
“Those idiots! I made sure my theft was undetectable! The dragon shouldn’t have noticed anything. It must be them! They triggered the dragon’s wrath, and I’m getting blamed for it!”
Su Yao observed the battle. “It appears the dragon is preoccupied with retrieving its gold from them.”
The dragon roared. “Return what you have stolen, thieves! My hoard isn’t for the taking!”
Wang Liang gritted his teeth. “See? It’s demanding the gold from them. I was careful! This is their fault.”
One of the tactical fighters, a woman with a scar across her cheek, shouted over the gunfire. “We are Iron Spear Logistics, a private military corporation! We don’t comply with demands from mythological wildlife! Our previous squad has secured the initial artifacts. Our objective is to extract the remainder of the hoard. Stand aside or be eliminated!”
Wang Liang stared. “A PMC? They’ve been looting the hoard in squads? I just took one bag! They’re the reason the dragon woke up! They’re the real thieves!”
“You are all thieves! But your organized plunder is an insult! You will all be crushed!”
Su Yao glanced at Wang Liang. “It seems your insignificant theft was merely the final straw. They’ve been systematically stripping its lair.”
“I’m being framed by a corporate extraction team! This is unacceptable!” Wang Liang hefted his bag of gold. “We should help the dragon! They’ve more gold!”
Su Yao smiled. “An interesting proposal. Allying with the dragon against a common enemy. Very well. Let us see how this PMC handles a coordinated assault.” She began to gather her spiritual energy, fixing her gaze on the mercenaries.
Wang Liang’s hands glowed with dark energy as he unleashed a wave of soul-rending force at the nearest PMC operative. The energy washed over the man, but he shook his head and continued firing his weapon.
“Impossible!” Wang Liang snarled. “My attacks should have shredded their spirits!”
Su Yao analyzed the operatives. “They must be androids or constructs wearing human flesh as a disguise.”
One of the operatives, a man with a helmet-mounted camera, glanced over while reloading his rifle. “That’s a flawed assessment. If it looks like a human, talks like a human, and bleeds like a human, then it’s probably a human. We’re just highly trained and properly equipped.”
“The duck test is fallacious. A sophisticated mimic would pass all those checks.” Su Yao phased forward, appearing in front of the speaking operative. Her hand shot out to grab his arm, fingers digging into the flesh. “Your biological composition feels authentic, but your spiritual resonance is absent. That is the discrepancy.”
The operative tried to pull away, but Su Yao’s grip held firm. “Let go! We’ve a mission to complete!”
Wang Liang laughed. “So they’re hollow shells? Then let’s break them the old-fashioned way!” He lunged at another operative. His form shifted into shadows as he aimed a physical strike at the man’s head.
The dragon’s tail swept through the chamber, forcing the PMC squad to scatter. “Enough talk! Return my gold or be destroyed!”
Su Yao released the operative and phased back to Wang Liang’s side. “Their lack of spiritual presence makes them immune to soul-based attacks, but they can still be physically dismantled. Focus on breaking their bodies.”
Wang Liang cracked his knuckles. “Finally, a straight fight. I will show them what a real demon king can do!”