By the time the squad of Patrollers rushed to the scene, all they saw were the scattered bodies of Fractsidus members and You Luoming standing beside Jiyan.
“You Luoming!” Yangyang called out from a distance and hurried over, clutching her chest as she panted softly.
“Thank goodness you’re alright…
Wait, did you do all of this?” Yangyang’s eyes widened in shock as she pointed at the surrounding carnage.
You Luoming simply nodded calmly.
“I told you, I’d win.” Chixia stared blankly at the fallen Fractsidus members, her eyes shining with newfound admiration.
She ran over and gave You Luoming a big thumbs-up.
“Wow, you’re amazing, You Luoming!
I knew you were strong, but I didn’t think you were *this* strong!
By the way, where is General Jiyan?” In response, You Luoming pointed to the side, a look of pity in his eyes.
“Bro Jiyan is right here.
Take a look and see if he can still be saved.
He seems…
pretty close to dead.” The crowd finally turned their attention to the blood-soaked figure nearby.
A Patroller gasped, rubbed his eyes, and cried out in grief: “General Jiyan!” Once his identity was confirmed, the Patrollers erupted into a frantic chatter, their eyes darting between Jiyan and You Luoming.
“It really is General Jiyan!” “How did the General get hurt this badly?!” “Was it this hero who…
General, please say something!
Does anyone have medicine?
The General is too badly hurt to speak!” Several Patrollers carefully laid Jiyan down.
They retrieved medicine from their portable medical kits to administer to him, then used alcohol and bandages to treat his gruesome wounds.
Yangyang bit her lip as she looked at the faintly breathing Jiyan, voicing the question everyone was most desperate to ask: “Um…
You Luoming, do you know what happened to General Jiyan?” “Jiyan was gravely injured and brainwashed by the Fractsidus to attack Taoyuan Village.
He doesn’t have his own consciousness right now; he’s more like a puppet.” You Luoming sighed, looking toward Jinzhou as he explained softly, “Just now, to pin me down, the Fractsidus ordered Jiyan to stand still.
He’s been frozen in that exact posture ever since.” “Yes, You Luoming is correct.” A cool, calm voice sounded from behind the crowd.
Chixia spun around and cried out in delight: “Baizhi!
It’s Baizhi!” Baizhi stepped into the center of the crowd and bowed slightly to You Luoming in greeting.
“I saw what just happened.
Thank you for stepping in, You Luoming.
You saved Taoyuan Village.” “It was nothing.
Don’t mention it.” Baizhi gave You Luoming a grateful look, then quickly walked over to Jiyan’s side.
Out of everyone here, only she could offer any medical aid for Jiyan’s injuries.
“General Jiyan’s condition…
is extremely grim.” The more Baizhi analyzed him using You’tan, the deeper her brow furrowed.
“Countless internal and external injuries, a mind thoroughly corrupted by a Threnodian, and he has even undergone prolonged Overclocking!” “I don’t know what methods the Fractsidus used to control him, but logically, with injuries this severe, he shouldn’t even be able to move his body.” “And if we want to treat General Jiyan’s injuries…” She suddenly bit her lower lip, unable to look at Jiyan any longer.
With a heavy sigh, like a doctor delivering a terminal diagnosis, she shook her head.
“Unless the Sentinel intervenes, General Jiyan might not survive past tomorrow.” Hearing Baizhi’s diagnosis, everyone shuddered.
Their gazes toward Jiyan filled with profound sorrow.
Overclocking—or the excessive use of Resonance power—would cause a Resonator to gradually transform into a Tacet Discord.
Yet, most people didn’t even survive long enough to turn into a Tacet Discord; their bodies would be torn apart by the overclocked Resonance energy first.
Jiyan’s Resonance power had always been stable.
Just what had he experienced in the barriered Jinzhou City to overclock and lose control like this?
Chixia clenched her fists and suggested, “Then let’s go find the Sentinel!
General Jiyan has worked so hard for Jinzhou for so long.
Now that he’s this badly hurt, the Sentinel will definitely save him!” “It’s not that simple,” Baizhi shook her head again.
“Only the Magistrate knows the Sentinel’s whereabouts, but the Magistrate is currently…” Baizhi poured out a massive amount of information in one breath.
A shattered Jinzhou City.
An unknown Tacet Field.
The imprisoned Magistrate, Jinhsi.
Horrific Tacet Discord transformation experiments.
And Yuanwu and Taoqi, whose fates remained unknown.
Each piece of terrible news turned the faces of the Patrollers, Yangyang, and Chixia pale with shock and rage.
You Luoming, however, only felt completely numb after hearing all of this.
*Forget not being able to find the Rover.
Jinzhou City has actually been destroyed by Scar?
The citizens of Jinzhou are being contaminated and dragged off for cruel experiments.* *Sure enough, in the world of Wuthering Waves, ordinary people walk on thin ice.* *More importantly, how did this ridiculous game plot derail so badly?* *If the plot had strictly followed the game’s progression, I would have happily followed the Rover around as a cheerleader, getting carried to an easy life on Solaris-3-3.* But plans could never keep up with reality.
As if realizing something, You Luoming’s eyes suddenly lit up.
According to the tropes of Wuthering Waves, the current situation in Jinzhou was far more critical than the resurrection of the Formless Incinerator and the Retroact Rain in the original plot.
*In that case, the Rover should be appearing any second now to sweep through the Fractsidus and save the day, right?* *But…* You Luoming looked down at the barely breathing Jiyan on the ground, a complex emotion flitting through his eyes.
Should he really just ignore everything and wait for the Rover to show up?
What if the Rover never appeared?
Just keep waiting?
Some people had the power, yet they chose to do nothing, preferring to stand by and watch a tragedy unfold.
That was the exact kind of person You Luoming detested.
Yet, fate had placed this very choice before him.
The outcome of this choice would affect not just himself, but the fates of Jiyan, Yangyang, Chixia, and countless others in Jinzhou.
You Luoming’s fists clenched tightly.
Veins popped on his arms, and his breathing grew heavy.
Finally, he came to a decision— *If I pin my hopes on the Rover, I’ll have to wait here in agony.* *But if I place my hope in myself, I can run forward without hesitation!* Knowing the plot inside out, he decided he would no longer sit on the sidelines.
So what if it triggered a butterfly effect?
The plot was already completely ruined anyway, wasn’t it?
In that case, what was left to fear?
He would speedrun Jinzhou!
He would speedrun Mt.
Firmament!
And he would save Jiyan!
This was, after all, just a normal day’s work for a professional account booster.
His mind made up, You Luoming picked up a Cognition-Shielding Bracelet from a fallen Fractsidus member and glanced at Yangyang and the others, who were locked in a heated discussion.
Time was of the essence.
Not wanting to waste effort on explanations, he turned and began walking toward Jinzhou City alone.
“The enemy’s strength far exceeds our own, and they have already extended their claws to Taoyuan Village on the outskirts of Jinzhou,” Baizhi analyzed the situation calmly and proposed a rational plan.
“Before reinforcements from Huanglong arrive, we must evacuate Taoyuan Village and deliver the intelligence Taoqi gathered.” “Is that…
our only choice?” Yangyang hung her head in despair, her eyes instinctively drifting toward the heavily injured Jiyan.
General Jiyan had braved the barrier and fought the invaders alone to the very end for Jinzhou’s sake, yet now they were forced to abandon him.
If they retreated, General Jiyan would truly be left to die in agony.
How could they let that happen?
She knew Baizhi’s suggestion was the most sensible option under the circumstances, but she couldn’t help but recall what You Luoming had told her before.
*’You say the villagers of Taoyuan Village refuse to evacuate, but the truth is, the ones who don’t want to leave are actually you.’* *’But I think—’* *’It is suffering that should be brought to an end, not life!’* *Wait!
Where is You Luoming?* Yangyang suddenly jerked her head up.
Looking around, she finally spotted You Luoming’s silhouette heading toward Jinzhou City.
Under the crimson sunset clouds, he walked silently toward Jinzhou, resolute and without a single backward glance.
In that instant, she couldn’t describe what she was feeling.
Bitterness, gratitude, or joy?
There was no time for Yangyang to process it.
All she knew was that her feet were already moving, and she chased after him: “You Luoming!” She caught up and walked alongside him, speaking in a soft, warning tone, “Are you going to Jinzhou City?
The enemy is incredibly powerful.” You Luoming shrugged.
“My sword is not without its edge.” A misty layer of tears blurred Yangyang’s eyes.
She stared intently at You Luoming as an invisible wave of courage welled up in her heart, fueling her fighting spirit: “I’m coming with you.” *If we should never return…
then so be it.* She simply couldn’t stand by and watch a hero like General Jiyan wait for death.
[Main Quest: “Utterance of Marvels – Part II” has been completed.] [Current Inventory: Radiant Tide × 20, Lustrous Tide × 20, Astrite × 1,800, Shell Credit × 280,000.]