The thick kasaya, still warm, was draped over her. Yunhe's face still bore streaks of dried blood, a picture of dishevelment and helplessness. She instinctively pulled the kasaya tighter, like a lost lamb.
Meng Qinghuan sighed softly. In essence, Yunhe was just a teenage girl.
"Your hesitation tells me your beliefs are at odds with your actions," Bai Cha said to Yunhe, her tone placid. "Do you know why I indulge Freya?"
Yunhe remained silent, and Meng Qinghuan looked at Bai Cha with curiosity.
Bai Cha tilted her head back, gazing at the moon in the sky, a touch of desolation in her eyes.
It was a stormy day.
The greenish lightning seemed to tear the black sky apart. At that time, Bai Cha had not yet unlocked the power of her blood as an experimental subject. She could only rely on technological means to fly at maximum speed towards the depths of a desert.
This was the latest accelerator, capable of speeds of approximately four hundred kilometers per hour, equivalent to the acceleration of a Tesla Roadster. Such speeds were typically used in combat. This instantaneous acceleration would subject humans to immense pressure for a short period; most people couldn't withstand it.
Above the vast expanse of sand, Bai Cha was utilizing the booster at its maximum output. She had been flying for an unknown duration. Due to the prolonged exposure to extreme pressure, blood was trickling from her nose and mouth, yet she continued to fly forward, seemingly tireless.
She wanted to fight for this glimmer of hope, to fight for Ye Feng's chance to live. Even if it was merely a desperate measure, Bai Cha still wished her father could survive.
Even a sliver of hope would suffice.
After flying for an indeterminate time, a mirage appeared before her. It connected with the sky and the earth, revealing a warped palace. Bai Cha rejoiced in her heart and raised the pre-prepared crystal cutter, slicing forward.
With a single stroke, the cutter was ruined, and the space before her was torn open with a large gash. Without a second thought, Bai Cha plunged through it.
"Asteria, come out!"
"Libra! Asteria!"
Naturally, no one answered her. At that moment, Asteria was connecting the passages between spaces. Although it was a simple activation, it completely exposed Ye Feng's location and provided enemies with the most convenient passage to attack him.
Previously, Asteria and Ye Feng had maintained an exceptionally close relationship. However, at some point, that closeness had vanished, and the relationship between the two organizations had grown increasingly strained.
Perhaps it was because Ye Feng and Bai Qingyuan were too extraordinary? Everyone had to admit that Ye Feng was a peerless genius who could threaten everything, especially since he had married a woman he was not at all familiar with.
Asteria had chosen an opportune time. He opened this passage every month, facilitating convenience for passing merchants. After all, his spatial gate of this magnitude was far more convenient than cargo ships, air transport, or trains. It was also a gesture of respect to the major nations.
However, this was not something that could not be postponed. There had been many such instances before.
For example, when a queen of a certain country needed to use this special location for an event, Asteria had directly postponed the opening for several days. Or when he was on vacation and had not yet returned, he had also postponed the opening of this passage for several days.
And now, of all times, he chose to maintain this spatial gate. The intention was clear to anyone with eyes.
"Chacha." Freya's bow, crafted from pink crystal, still shone brightly. The girl she had cherished since childhood stood before her, but now, she stood on the opposite side of Bai Cha.
This was because Freya no longer represented herself alone.
The second deity of the Balance Beam, Aphrodite Freya. In the absence of the first deity, Libra Asteria, she handled all matters.
Bai Cha walked directly towards the massive imperial palace, as large as a small world. She brushed past Freya, not even sparing her a second glance.
Bai Cha knew she absolutely could not hesitate now, or the already slim chance of success for her plan would diminish even further.
There were many people in the grand hall, including two Golden Throne holders. Upon seeing Bai Cha, they felt inexplicably uneasy. They cast a glance at Freya, who stood motionless at the entrance, and no one knew what to say.
Bai Cha had grown up playing here. She was familiar with everyone, especially Freya. The two had spent a lot of time together. Even when Bai Cha trained with them, Asteria had guided her many times, making him something of a half-master to her.
However, they were not foolish. They were an organization of bounty hunters, and their information was incredibly well-informed. Almost everyone knew what decision Asteria had made.
"Uh, Elpis, you're here?" Poseidon, with his thick beard, awkwardly brought over a cup of a beverage, attempting to ease the awkward atmosphere. Before he could steady himself, Bai Cha slapped the cup, spilling the drink onto the floor.
The cup shattered on the ground, the sound like a gunshot, causing everyone in the hall to hold their breath. For a moment, the hall fell silent; no one dared to speak.
"It seems Libra isn't here."
This was the second thing Bai Cha had said since arriving.
Then, Bai Cha produced a gun. The gun barrel was somewhat thick and appeared heavy. The muzzle flashed with a blue light, causing Poseidon's expression to change.
There was no time to stop it. The thick blue light flashed and vanished. A statue of a deity displayed in the hall instantly turned to dust.
This left everyone even more bewildered. Half embarrassed, half uneasy, they had not expected Bai Cha to resort to such a radical and decisive measure, effectively severing ties with the Balance Beam so abruptly.
...
"Cough, cough, cough." In the cold wind, Bai Cha felt her throat itch and couldn't help but cough a few times, causing Lucifer to frown.
"And then?" Meng Qinghuan, thoroughly engrossed in the gossip, eagerly pressed on.
Bai Cha waved her hand and turned to look not far away. "Cang Liu, come over here too. Join us."
On a large tree, a leaf and a branch shifted gently. A blue figure flashed out from within, it was Cang Liu. No one knew when he had hidden himself in the tree, nor how long he had been concealed.
Yunhe pondered for a moment and tentatively asked, "Are you... causing a big disturbance?"
Bai Cha looked at Yunhe. "Don't use 'you', it sounds awkward."
Yunhe's expression was somewhat conflicted. After much hesitation, she still didn't agree. Seeing Yunhe's demeanor, Bai Cha let it be.
Forget it, "you" it is. It wasn't the first time she'd heard it.
"Can you guess my thoughts at the time?" Bai Cha looked at Cang Liu and Yunhe. "It shouldn't be difficult to guess."
"Attacking where the enemy must defend?" Cang Liu hesitated before replying. "As long as the Balance Beam's headquarters is sufficiently damaged, Libra won't be able to ignore this side. To protect this place, he must shut down the passage and drive you back."
In that case, the green passage would be closed, making it more than twice as difficult to pursue and intercept Ye Feng, at least buying a significant amount of time.
Someone of Ye Feng's caliber possessed first-class abilities in all aspects. With just one more possibility, it would almost equate to survival.
"So, Miss Bai, you weren't successful?" Yunhe still didn't understand.
According to records, Mr. Ye had still died, which meant this spatial channel remained open. Had Miss Bai's commotion failed?
"No, I succeeded." Bai Cha shook her head. "I brought over ten thousand tons of the latest bombs and wore the most advanced individual combat gear. In that battle, the entire Balance Beam palace was destroyed, leaving only ruins. Over ninety percent of the people were seriously injured."
So, Asteria was willing to continuously keep the passage open, allowing everyone to hunt Ye Feng, rather than returning to protect his own people? How great was the threat posed by the Bai family that he would make such a choice? Even at the cost of severely weakening his own organization, he had to suppress the Bai family.
Yunhe and Cang Liu fell into silence. If they still didn't understand what had happened at this point, it would be sheer foolishness.
Cang Liu and Yunhe fell into contemplation, but Meng Qinghuan was exasperated. She smacked Yunhe on the back and said impatiently, "That's not the point. The point is, more than half of them were seriously injured, but no one died."
Bai Cha was clearly trying to teach Yunhe, but her disciple was too straightforward, seemingly unable to comprehend.
A steel-willed woman meeting a reinforced steel-willed woman, and the reinforced steel-willed woman clearly won.
Seeing Yunhe's bewildered expression, Bai Cha could only sigh and continue. "At the time, like you, I couldn't bring myself to do it. I thought disabling them was enough.
I destroyed almost everything there, and I was exhausted myself. Some of the severely injured took the opportunity to launch a fatal blow at me."
After all, they were people who had been good to her. Humans are not made of wood; how could they be unfeeling? Even though Bai Cha was calm and rational, she couldn't have a heart of stone.
How could Bai Cha forget that when she was wronged as a child, these people would coax her with candy?
How could she forget that when she couldn't figure out martial arts, these people would guide her and act as her sparring partners, accompanying her for several nights?
"That day, they taught me that no matter how good a relationship is, it cannot withstand the opposition of standing. It was Freya who stood in front of me," Bai Cha exhaled a long breath. "At that time, she was on the verge of death. I took Freya back to Country Z and found Mo Yuntian. Finally, Uriel and Michael joined forces, using the purest holy light to save Freya."
That was the first time she had begged someone. Clutching the tiny pink elf's body, she had ignored Mo Yuntian, who was conducting important experiments, and directly smashed open the laboratory door.
"This is how the battlefield is. Your soft-heartedness and humanity will only cause your own people to sacrifice themselves in vain," Bai Cha continued. "Since you are Shadows, then be prepared."
"Yes!"
"Understood!"
The two bowed their heads, listening intently to Bai Cha's admonishment. Only then did Bai Cha breathe a sigh of relief. Her head was a little dizzy and she was still weak.
Asteria was too powerful; she had overextended herself and was still seriously injured.
"Miss Bai." Seeing Lucifer carrying Bai Cha to leave, Yunhe quickly called out to Bai Cha. "I want to ask, in the end, did our Shadow One faction lose?"
Lost? It seemed so.
Bai Cha was twelve that year, and almost all the pillars of the Shadow faction were annihilated. This crisis directly caused an age gap in the Shadow faction, leaving almost only the younger generation.
Judging by the outcome, the Shadow faction had suffered severe damage.
"That depends on how you measure that standard. Generally speaking, if the enemy pays a great price, even if you don't gain any benefits, it can be considered a victory," Bai Cha said. "In my opinion, there were no winners in that battle."
"No winners?" Yunhe didn't understand. "Someone must have benefited, right?"
"Because their headquarters was thoroughly ransacked by me, the Balance Beam's headquarters was almost completely cleared out," Bai Cha admitted with slight embarrassment. At the time, she had indeed been inconsiderate, only thinking of going all out. "To this day, their headquarters has only been restored to sixty percent of its original state. Furthermore, seven of the twelve deities I had good relations with have withdrawn, essentially causing a schism."
The Balance Beam was severely weakened that time. Originally an independent private organization feared worldwide, after being disrupted and fractured, its prestige plummeted, and its financial and human resources were severely depleted.