Kill at the Bottom of the Lake

Hidden beneath its lush hair, Tu Ran's palms were pressed flat against its scalp.

She activated her "Tremendous Strength" ability, forcing its head to twist in whatever direction she dictated.

No matter how Mira Wells flapped its wings, it would follow the path Tu Ran set.

The two of them shot into the sky as one, flying out of the entire castle. Everyone inside and outside the fortress saw the sight.

Min Tao and another Pioneer ran out from behind the door, staring at Tu Ran as she rapidly ascended.

"Where's she going?"

"No idea," Min Tao shook his head, then started running in the direction Tu Ran had flown. "Let's follow her."

"Alright."

Tu Ran flew overhead while Min Tao and the other man chased below.

The guards surrounding Lake Jingjing looked up at the monster that had suddenly burst out of the ancient castle, startled. They couldn't see Tu Ran on its back, only assumed the creature was suddenly fleeing the fortress, and hastily reported to Deng Changtai.

Deng Changtai, who could watch the live feed, was unperturbed. He reassured them: "Take it easy. There's a Pioneer on top of it. This is their strategy. No need to panic."

The agitated guards calmed down. At the same time, they thought about the Pioneer now riding that monster and couldn't help but sweat for them.

At that height, one wrong move and it would be a splatter on the ground.

A hundred meters up, the wind pressed Tu Ran's body backward. Gazing at the blue lake below her feet, she raised her voice. "Zero, where's the deepest spot in this lake?"

"Here."

A red-marked area appeared before her eyes.

Immediately, she forced Mira Wells' head downward, aiming straight for the center of the lake.

Like a falling meteor, the two of them plunged into the deep heart of the lake, sending a spray of water over ten meters high.

The icy lake water swallowed them both.

The moment they hit the water, Tu Ran activated "Wheel of Time" and pressed it against her helmet.

Rewind ten years.

The helmet instantly disassembled into a pile of parts, drifting to the lakebed. At the same time, Zero's link to her went silent.

Now she had nothing to worry about.

Mira Wells was desperately beating its wings, struggling to surface.

Tu Ran reached out, seized one of its wings, braced her knee against it, and with a sharp crack, snapped the wing in two.

"Sssss——"

Mira Wells threw its head back in a screech, the sound swallowed by the water.

It glared at Tu Ran in fury, opening its mouth wide to spit fire—but this was underwater. The flames were quenched before they could even emerge.

Tu Ran used "Instant Shift" to appear at its other side, grabbed the other wing, and at the same spot, used "Tremendous Strength" to snap it clean off.

She couldn't use "Landslide." That kind of death would be too bizarre; she'd have a hard time explaining why Mira Wells' skin had split all over its body just from being underwater.

But snapping its wings, she could explain away as the massive impact of crashing from a great height into the water's surface.

With both wings broken, Mira Wells had no means left to resist.

It just wanted to get back to the surface. It was a bird, not a fish. It was suffocating.

But Tu Ran had no intention of letting it go.

She hadn't forgotten that Mira Wells had once been a human being, who had only become this mindless monster by drinking a miracle drug.

It would be sent to the Research Institute for study. If those researchers managed to develop a drug that restored its consciousness, and Mira Wells recovered its memories...

Then it might reveal how Tu Ran had snapped its wings. That would be a problem.

To be safe, Tu Ran used "Illusory Realm."

She wasn't sure she could use "Illusory Realm" underwater, so she wanted to try it first. If it didn't work, she'd find another chance once they were ashore.

Biting her finger, she recited the incantation.

A small, rainbow-hued mushroom sprouted from her fingertip.

It worked.

Only, it was a little smaller than usual.

But illuminated by the play of light in the water, the mushroom seemed even more mysterious and beautiful.

Staring at Mira Wells, whose eyes were already rolling back, she murmured in her mind: *Your wings were broken during the fall from the sky. After plunging into the lake, the Pioneers kept trying to pull you back up.*

To be thorough, she repeated it once more before she was satisfied.

Mira Wells' body was already beginning to sink uncontrollably.

Tu Ran knew that if she stayed any longer, she'd drown too. She immediately grabbed hold of the hair floating in the water and swam upward.

Finally breaking the surface, she wiped the water from her face and greedily gulped down fresh air.

Min Tao and the others had already dived into the water and were swimming toward the center of the lake. Patrol vehicles hovered overhead, dipping low to scan the depths.

"I'm here!" Tu Ran waved her hand. "Help me pull it up! It's drowning!"

The guards on the patrol vehicle immediately jumped out and dove into the water, where they saw Tu Ran with one hand gripping Mira Wells' long white hair, the other paddling to stay afloat.

Mira Wells was rolling its eyes, weak and helpless.

*These Pioneers really are something else,* they thought quietly, then grabbed hold of other parts of Mira Wells' body—like its wings, its arms—and dragged it toward the shore.

Midway, Tu Ran feigned exhaustion. She let go of Mira Wells' hair and sank a little deeper into the lake, swallowing a few mouthfuls of water.

Min Tao noticed immediately. He too released Mira Wells' wing, and hooked his arm under hers.

"I'll take you back first."

"Thanks," Tu Ran said, her voice drained.

Min Tao supported her by the arm and brought her to shore. He also handed a rope attached to Mira Wells' neck to the guards waiting on the bank, who all rushed forward to haul it in.

Tu Ran, meanwhile, collapsed onto a rock by the water's edge, gasping for breath.

She was tired.

She was faking it.

This time, the Wheel of Time had only rewound ten years; she didn't actually feel noticeably drained.

Deng Changtai practically jogged to her side, crouching down with concern. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Tu Ran shook her head. "Just tired from swimming. I'll catch my breath."

"Good," Deng Changtai sighed in relief. "Don't lie here. Go rest in the vehicle. There's food there. Regain some strength."

"Thank you." Tu Ran pushed herself up from the ground.

Right now, everyone was focused on hauling Mira Wells ashore as quickly as possible. No one paid her any mind.

Tu Ran lounged casually against the side of a patrol vehicle, pulling a tightly sealed compressed biscuit from her combat suit pocket and taking a bite.

The group finally dragged Mira Wells onto the shore, where the Research Institute personnel they'd contacted ahead of time arrived by helicopter.

Tu Ran didn't recognize any of them.

Men and women alike, all businesslike, they threw themselves at Mira Wells.

They first squeezed the lake water out of its stomach, then checked its vitals. Once they confirmed it was out of danger, they injected it with a tranquilizer.