Chapter 137: The Unreachable Love

The world seemed to fall into a profound silence after Wu Yuan’s sword strike. Wang Qi collapsed into Qili’s arms, scarlet blood pouring steadily from his back. Qili’s trembling hands were powerless to stop the flow.

“Qi…” Qili’s voice quivered. Her hands were stained with fresh blood, the metallic scent filling the air, agitating the child in her arms. The baby girl suddenly let out a loud wail, awakening Qili from her daze. She lowered her gaze to the infant, her expression turning deeply conflicted.

Wu Yuan had not expected anyone to block his path. But as a warrior, mercy was a foreign concept to him. While Qili stood stunned, he raised his sword once more.

“Wu Yuan, stop!” Xie Liu suddenly shouted. “This person in front of you is not a modified soldier of the Special Forces Alliance; he’s an ordinary citizen of the city!”

Wu Yuan’s sword faltered slightly, surprise and disbelief flickering across his face. Xie Liu clutched his head as he stood up. The earlier sonic blast had left his skull throbbing painfully. He hadn’t expected his desperate outburst to halt Wu Yuan.

“A citizen of the city?” Wu Yuan echoed, his tone laced with skepticism.

Xie Liu leaned on his knife, pointing at Wang Qi coldly. “Your combat suit should have a superpower detection system. Check it yourself—does he have any superpowers?”

Wu Yuan scanned Wang Qi with suspicion. Though Qili had damaged the combat suit slightly, most of its functions remained intact. When the scan finished, his face changed dramatically.

“This can’t be. The superpower response value is 37. That’s already level five—he really is a citizen of Fantasy City.” Wu Yuan’s shock was evident. He had assumed Wang Qi was also a modified soldier of the Special Forces Alliance, but now he realized the man he had wounded was, like himself, a superpowered individual.

“Impossible!” Wu Yuan cried out in disbelief. At this moment, Xie Liu gripped his knife again, sneering.

“What’s wrong? Didn’t expect this, did you? The one you just struck down isn’t a modified soldier—you’ve attacked a citizen of Fantasy City. As a soldier of the city, don’t you have any thoughts about that?” Xie Liu’s voice was cold and mocking.

“No! This can’t be!” Wu Yuan shook his head and stepped back, unwilling to accept the reality before him. Then, suddenly, Qili moved. Her claw, heavy with blood, flew through the air and shredded Wu Yuan’s combat suit, blood spraying out.

Had Wu Yuan not reacted swiftly, this claw strike might have ended his life.

“You’re courting death!” Wu Yuan roared in fury, but a sharp pain in his chest sent a spurt of blood flying from his mouth. Though he avoided a fatal blow, Qili’s claw had torn through half a lobe of his lung.

“Wu Yuan!” Just as Xue Li, who had just settled herself, arrived, she was horrified to see Wu Yuan kneeling and coughing up blood. She stepped forward, steadying him, and flames erupted in her palm. She hurled three fireballs toward Qili’s retreating form.

At this moment, Xie Liu intervened. His blade flashed out, intercepting the fireballs and extinguishing them all. “Stop this now,” he warned.

“I don’t want any more bloodshed,” Xie Liu said with a shake of his head. In war, human life was the cheapest commodity, but even so, he did not wish for needless sacrifice. Wu Yuan and the others were exceptional warriors—they should not be wasted here.

Xie Liu’s blade slowly pointed downward, forming a barrier between the two sides.

“Is your Hunting Squad going to interfere with our Joint Task Force’s affairs?” The man standing across was tall and thin, with a somewhat frail appearance. Yet Xie Liu dared not underestimate them. Every soldier in the Joint Task Force was formidable. The three fireballs just thrown by this man included intense flame power; had Xie Liu not cut them down, their explosions would have rivaled high explosives.

Moreover, the man could control the fireballs’ trajectory, striking targets with deadly precision. If possible, Xie Liu preferred not to fight them.

“We’ve already taken over this matter,” Xie Liu explained. “There’s been some misunderstanding, but I hope you’ll hold your attack until I can contact higher command.”

Though helping modified soldiers fight the Joint Task Force may have legal consequences within the city, Xie Liu wished to resolve the issue through official channels. After all, the offspring of ordinary citizens and modified soldiers was a miracle not to be ignored.

The man’s face remained stern, unlike Wu Yuan’s impulsiveness. He did not immediately retort but pondered for a moment before saying, “Show me your mission documents.”

Xie Liu exhaled slightly. Defusing the situation was paramount. He retrieved a folded mission report from his pocket and flicked it toward the soldier. The man caught it and frowned after reading.

“This report is flawed. The mission level is marked as ‘unknown.’ That’s impossible,” he noted suspiciously.

Xie Liu was prepared. “Precisely because it’s ‘unknown,’ our direct squad was dispatched to investigate. Look below—Chairman Vladimir’s signature is there. It’s genuine.” He gestured toward Qili behind him.

“Compared to killing this modified soldier, the higher-ups want him alive—that’s the chairman’s orders.” Xie Liu spoke casually, though he had received no such instruction to capture alive. But this excuse would buy time with the soldier. They would still verify the mission’s authenticity through Vladimir’s subordinates, but that would take time, and Xie Liu’s delay tactic was working.

However, Xie Liu did not expect to fool them completely. He had more to say.

“So, are you really going to confront me here? That female teammate is fine—I held back—but this one’s injuries won’t hold for long.” Xie Liu nodded toward Wu Yuan, concern in his voice.

The soldier’s face changed instantly. He glanced at Wu Yuan, who leaned on him pale and weak, blood foaming at his lips—his condition urgent beyond doubt.

“Get your comrade treated first.” Xie Liu smiled gently.

The soldier considered, then gestured toward the gravely wounded Wang Qi behind Xie Liu. “Leave that man to me. Since he’s a superpowered citizen of the city, we have an obligation to treat him.”

It was clear they intended to take Wang Qi as a hostage. But Xie Liu had no choice. Wang Qi had survived Wu Yuan’s sword strike by a miracle; now only the Joint Task Force’s medical resources could save him.

“All right, it’s a deal,” Xie Liu smiled, turning to Qili and Wang Qi. “I know you’re hurting now, but listen to me.”

“Hand over your husband now,” Xie Liu said gravely.

Qili’s bloodshot eyes glared at him, her hoarse voice sharp as a blade. “Never!”

“You came here for the mission too. You spared us to capture live. You’re no saint…” Her body shook, her face smeared with Wang Qi’s blood, twisted with ferocity. “I’d rather die than give Qi to you.”

“Are you an idiot?” Xie Liu muttered, exasperated. “Do you want your husband to die like this? Only if you hand him over does he have a chance to live. Refuse, and it’s a death sentence. Can’t you stop being stubborn now? Save him first, then talk.”

“And what does it matter to you whether I capture him alive or not?” Xie Liu added, frustrated. He hated dealing with women—modified or ordinary—when they refused to see reason.

Qili’s rage froze instantly. She wasn’t a fool; that’s why she was still alive.

Seeing her silence, Xie Liu pressed on. “No matter what, save Wang Qi. He’s a citizen of Fantasy City; the city won’t harm him. And you don’t want your daughter to grow up fatherless, do you?”

Qili’s body trembled. She glanced down at her unconscious husband. Her youthful face was resolute. At last, her heart softened. She leaned down and kissed his forehead gently.

“As long as you live, everything will be fine,” she whispered, then reluctantly handed him over to Xie Liu.

Xie Liu nodded slightly. Seeing Qili, bloodied and cradling her daughter, he reassured her, “Don’t worry. It’s not over yet.” He smiled with a hint of triumph. Qili hesitated, sensing he had other plans.

But the smile faded as Xie Liu turned away and approached the others. Xue Li, wounded by Xie Liu earlier, appeared and took Wang Qi into her arms.

“He’s just an ordinary citizen. Don’t make things hard for him,” Xie Liu reminded.

The soldier’s expression was icy. “No need to remind me.”

“Let’s go,” he said, hoisting the fainted Wu Yuan and leaving.

Xie Liu watched them disappear, exhaling deeply. He wasn’t truly afraid of these three. Given time, he could wipe them out without injury. But with the need to protect Wang Qi and Qili, his options were limited.

“Finally gone,” Xie Liu sighed, turning back to see Qili, still holding her daughter, staggering back. He remained silent.

He did not offer help; she needed silence now. The baby seemed to sense the somber mood, no longer crying, eyes half-closed, little hands grasping randomly.

Xie Liu shook his head. He could not understand Qili’s pain. Her bond with Wang Qi was unnatural—so they had prepared themselves mentally. He sheathed his blade and glanced around, spotting several fallen special forces soldiers.

“Enough,” he muttered. Taking advantage of the lingering crowd-dispersal signal, Xie Liu hurried to clear the battlefield until dusk.

“Phew—” Wiping sweat from his brow, he surveyed the cleaned street with satisfaction. Night was falling. Concerned that Qili might lose hope, he entered the shop.

The clothing store would no longer reopen. Xie Liu pulled down the shutter, enveloping himself in darkness.

When all was quiet, he pressed his hand to his shoulder, where Wang Qi had bitten him. The wound had just scabbed over.

“Wang Qi’s physical development isn’t complete. His strength surpasses normal human limits only slightly. Yet at that moment, both his power and speed far exceeded his natural ability.”

Xie Liu removed his coat and weapons, then tore open his shirt where Wang Qi had bitten through the flesh. The shredded fabric clung to torn skin. Pulling it away brought sharp pain, making him grimace.

In the fading light by the shutter’s slit, Xie Liu’s slender figure sat bare-chested, carefully wrapping his wound.

After about ten minutes, he dressed again. Remembering the silence upstairs, unease crept in. He climbed to the second floor—empty. Then the third, where the door was ajar.

Inside, Qili sat alone on the floor, staring blankly at the cradle. The baby girl was sound asleep.

“Go take a shower. The blood smell is too strong—it’s bad for the child,” Xie Liu advised gently. “I’ll watch her. Don’t worry, I won’t harm her.”

Qili regarded him silently for a long moment before nodding and standing. At the door, she paused. “Her name is Wang Meng. We always call her Meng’er.”

“Got it,” Xie Liu smiled warmly, watching her leave.

“Meng’er, huh?” He leaned close to the baby’s face. The little one, deep in slumber, twitched her furry cat ears, flicking her face away from his breath with a pout.

Xie Liu chuckled, feeling playful. He reached out to stroke Meng’er’s soft ears, which twitched twice, seemingly dodging his touch.

“Gurgle…” Suddenly, his stomach growled loudly in protest. Embarrassed, he glanced at the still-sleeping Meng’er and laughed softly. “Don’t worry, she won’t wake up anytime soon.”

He turned and left.

Qili lay in the dark bathtub, the lights off. She stared blankly at the ceiling. The blood smell faded, but the ache in her heart remained.

“Qi, where are you tonight?” she whispered, tears falling slowly. She reached out, grasping at nothing.

At the Medical Center of the Cataclysm Legion Branch—

“Hurry! Administer the cellular regeneration serum! The patient’s vital signs are stabilizing. Begin tissue repair now…” Medical staff bustled around an incubator containing the unconscious Wang Qi. His hand twitched as if responding to a distant call.

“Li’er… Meng’er…” a faint voice escaped his throat—unheard by all.

That was all his love, forever unable to reach where it belonged.