Chapter 313: Staying Behind

[Complete a curtain call with thunderous applause on a stage that no one cares about].

Chen Ling seemed to think of something and turned to look at this dead, frozen city and the sky above it, where the aurora was constantly surging... That was the soul of the people of Aurora City, engraved in the sky, looking down at the earth.

No one cares about... thunderous applause... curtain call...

Curtain call??

A thought flashed through Chen Ling's mind, his eyes gradually brightening!

"[Heart 6], what's wrong?"

Seeing Chen Ling stop suddenly, the Twilight Society members walking in front turned back one after another. They looked at the figure standing alone in the black snow, their eyes filled with confusion.

"Seniors, you go ahead." Chen Ling looked up at the aurora-filled sky. "I... have something to do."

Everyone was stunned, speaking in astonishment:

"You want to stay behind by yourself??"

"Are you kidding? The Calamities of the Forbidden Sea will break into the city in a moment. Is there anything more important than your life?"

"You are only Tier-2 now, not a match for those Calamities... Once they enter the city, it will be harder than ascending to heaven if you want to get out."

Even these Twilight Society members, whose thought processes were different from ordinary people, couldn't understand Chen Ling's actions. In their eyes, Chen Ling was only Tier-2 and couldn't withstand a slap from any random Calamity in the Forbidden Sea. Staying behind now was no different from seeking death.

On the contrary, [9] shrugged and spread his hands, saying:

"What are you panicking about... [Heart 6] is staying behind, the one who should be afraid is the Forbidden Sea!"

Everyone reacted, looking at Chen Ling with subtle expressions, suddenly feeling that [9] made a lot of sense... This kid was a "World-Ender," right? If he really went berserk, the entire Forbidden Sea might suffer!

"[Heart 6], are you sure?" Only Chu Muyun continued to frown. "If you stay this time, you will truly be isolated and helpless... No one will be able to save you."

Chu Muyun had seen Chen Ling go berserk with his own eyes. He knew this matter wasn't as simple as others thought. If the power of a "World-Ender" wasn't controlled well, Chen Ling would also die.

Chen Ling nodded calmly. "I'm sure."

A stage that no one cares about, a curtain call with thunderous applause... In this world, perhaps only the current Aurora City could satisfy this condition. In other words, if he missed this opportunity, he would never have another chance to advance to Tier-3.

Rather than cutting off his own path of advancement and never being able to return to his original era, it was better to gamble his life here and give it a try!

The good news was that he now had 68% audience expectation. If he worked a little harder, he could get an extra life... He wasn't completely without a chance of winning.

Chu Muyun wanted to persuade him further, but a cold female voice came from the very front:

"Let him stay."

Several people turned to look. Club K was standing in front, holding her umbrella alone, watching Chen Ling at the end of the line.

Black snowflakes scattered on the ground between them. Their gazes collided.

"Do whatever you want to do." She said again. "We will wait for you outside the city for ten minutes... After ten minutes, regardless of the result, we won't wait anymore."

Chen Ling was stunned for a moment. He had intended for the others to leave first, not expecting Club K to be willing to wait for him... One had to know that what was about to erupt was the Calamity tide of the Forbidden Sea; even outside the city, it would be hard to avoid being affected.

Chen Ling didn't waste any more time and nodded immediately:

"Thank you, seniors!"

He turned and flew rapidly back along the road he had just walked!

"Tsk... This batch of newcomers is truly something else." Watching his retreating back, someone couldn't help but exclaim, "Daring to go head-to-head with the Forbidden Sea at Tier 2? That's even crazier than Heart 9."

"Hey, talk about him if you want, why bring me into this?" [9] was displeased. "I'm a decent person, alright?"

"...Right, right, you're a decent person."

"Let's go, let's go... or the Calamities will be biting our butts soon!"

The eight figures took one last look at the direction Chen Ling had left in, then headed straight out of the city.

……

Chen Ling hurried through the streets amidst the swirling snow; a third of the frozen corpses by the roadside had already been infested.

Not just their eye sockets, nostrils, and ears, but even the surface of their skin had begun to sprout eerie, blood-colored bouquets. The incantations drifting across the sea surface were searching for flesh like madmen, but since their numbers were still low and they hadn't entered the various buildings yet, the victims were still few.

That said... how did that Club K manage to hold back the Calamities of the Forbidden Sea for so long?

This question flashed through Chen Ling's mind. As he ran in a certain direction, he leaped onto the high points of the surrounding buildings, his gaze fixed beyond the city walls...

His pupils constricted slightly.

Outside the city walls, a dark red slash cut through the sky. Beneath the slash, streaks of dark red light hung down like a massive red curtain being drawn, separating Aurora City from the Calamities of the Forbidden Sea.

At this moment, dense crowds of figures were slamming against this red curtain from the other side. The surface of the curtain occasionally revealed the imprints of different Calamity bodies, and even massive, grotesque handprints. As these things crashed frantically, cracks began to appear on the surface of the curtain...

She used a single curtain to separate the city from the Calamities?

Who on earth is this Club K??

Chen Ling was shaken, but his pace didn't falter in the slightest. Within seconds, he crossed the street and arrived before the ruins of the shattered city gate!

Tan Xin, covered in blood, sat alone amidst the ruins, gazing at the surging aurora above, lost in thought.

Seeing Chen Ling approach, a look of confusion appeared in his eyes...

"It's you?" Tan Xin frowned slightly. "Why are you back?"

Time was tight; Chen Ling had no time to explain and asked straight to the point:

"Give me the detonator for the 'Reappearance' plan."

Hearing this, Tan Xin was slightly stunned. "What do you want to do?"

"The Calamities of the Forbidden Sea are about to break through. Do you think those souls drifting in the sky want to see their bodies used as nutrients to breed millions of Calamity monsters?" Chen Ling pointed up at the sky filled with aurora.

Tan Xin froze. He studied Chen Ling for a moment, then slowly leaned back against the wall.

"You... intend to level Aurora City?"

"Yes."

"The detonator isn't on me," Tan Xin shook his head.

"Not on you?" Chen Ling was stunned. "Didn't you take it?"

"I did take it, but I was being surrounded by Enforcers at the time and had to face the Aurora Lord head-on. It was impossible to keep it on me... If they had stolen the detonator from me, the plan would have failed completely."

"Then where is the detonator??"

Tan Xin was silent for a moment, then slowly uttered two words:

"Han Meng."