Night’s Nomenclature

Chapter 958: Preemptive Strike

Zhang Mengqian held a long pair of chopsticks, precisely picking up a slice of Huoyanshan Beef from the spicy hot pot. After chewing it, he said, "Judging from the current situation, the Li Clan killed members of the Guardians' Union, besieged City 10, broke with your aunt Li Changqing, and is searching for Guardians' Union members in the mountains...No matter how you look at it, it's a rebellion. He may have done it to protect the Li Clan, or for something else, but it's a fact."

Li Ke sat on the long bench, his hands resting on his knees. He opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.

Zhang Mengqian continued, "I know you can't accept this right now. I'll take you out for a walk later, and we'll see what you should do."

Li Ke lifted his eyelids slightly.

"We have to wait until Uncle Yunjing and I finish the hot pot," Zhang Mengqian said, picking up another piece of Gongyang Vegetables. The green vegetables crunched between his teeth.

Li Yunjing put two pieces of tofu into the pot next to them, as if he hadn't heard anything. This Guardian never participated in the conversations of the two younger ones, like an emotionless robot.

After lunch, the blind Zhang Mengqian walked in front. Although his eyes were covered with a silk scarf, his movements were unimpeded, as if he had another eye hidden somewhere in his body.

Li Ke followed behind, dejected.

Zhang Mengqian walked straight to City 5 Ninth District.

It was clean and tidy; the windows of the residents' houses were bright and clean, and bright signs had appeared on the buildings. A few children were playing football in the street. A chubby boy kicked the ball off course, but just as he lifted his foot and before it landed on the ball, Zhang Mengqian had already reached out and said to Li Ke, "You've been to City 18's Ninth District, right?" With a bang, the ball landed precisely in Zhang Mengqian's palm, perfectly still.

Since they entered the Ninth District, Guardians' Union members had been watching them. Thus, they saw this amazing scene: Zhang Mengqian, like a Prophet, reached out before the ball was even kicked, already knowing where it would fly. A preemptive strike.

This was an innate sixth sense, even faster than the Fate Weaver's preemptive strike.

In the monitoring center, the Guardians' Union members urgently dispatched: "Quick, quick, quick! A master has arrived. Send more people to monitor them. Be careful that they cause trouble in the Lower Third District. Send thirty people...no, fifty! Prepare for a group fight!"

However, the head of the monitoring center looked at the screen and slapped the subordinate on the back of the head. "Are you stupid? That's the Boss's disciple! Zhang Mengqian, remember him?"

"Damn, it's Xiao Mengqian! I saw him during the Rat Tide in City 10. He was on the building, banging a pot to tell us which part of the defense line had collapsed!"

Today, the Home Families who had experienced the City 10 disaster have branched out to the outside world. They became instructors for various teams, leading newcomers into fierce battles.

They had all died once, so there was nothing to fear. Zhang Mengqian was a very familiar figure to them.

However, Zhang Mengqian now had a silk scarf on his face, completely different from his previous mechanical eye appearance, so they didn't recognize him at first.

The Home Families exclaimed, "Xiao Mengqian has already become a master!"

Are Zhang Mengqian and Li Ke masters? Currently, they have reached B-level, indeed masters, but not high enough. At this moment, Li Ke replied to Zhang Mengqian, "I've been to the Lower Third District of City 18."

Zhang Mengqian asked, "What was the Lower Third District like there? Let me help you recall...because I came from the Lower Third District."

"The real Lower Third District isn't like this, with children playing football in the streets. The streets are piled high with garbage, it smells terrible, the ground is uneven everywhere, and there are puddles on the road. There's no fun at all in playing football."

"Not only that, children must be accompanied by adults when walking on the street; otherwise, your child might become someone else's organ...no, even with adults, they might be taken away."

"When I was in the Lower Third District, my parents wanted to sell me. To survive, I ran away from home. I hid in dark buildings every day, surviving in the cracks. When I slept, I worried that I would be kidnapped directly. During that time, I lived in fear for four years until one day, my master appeared." Li Ke turned to him, "I know your experience...but what does this have to do with me, with my father?"

Zhang Mengqian smiled, "Do you think that dirty and smelly Lower Third District changed into what it looks like today?"

"Of course, it's because of the master," Li Ke said calmly, "Starting from City 22, the Guardians' Union has been continuously expanding its territory until it took over all the cities' Lower Third Districts and more than half of the Federation's population. And the Guardians' Union's property management company has become the organization's largest cash flow."

Zhang Mengqian nodded, "So, you know everything. You know what Master is doing, what he is striving for. He first changed the Lower Third District, then wanted to change the whole City 10, then the Qing Family, and finally the whole Federation. Now the Guardians' Union members are fighting for their lives in the mountains, Master is still fighting, but you are worrying about your father, self-pitying. So I say, you wealthy clan heirs are flowers in a greenhouse, unable to withstand wind and rain." Li Ke suddenly looked at Zhang Mengqian, "What did you say?"

"I said you're a flower in a greenhouse, unable to withstand wind and rain. Is that wrong?" Zhang Mengqian asked back. As he spoke, he took a slight step back.

Li Ke pounced forward, trying to punch Zhang Mengqian in the face. But Zhang Mengqian's step back was too clever, perfectly outside Li Ke's attack range.

Li Ke's punch didn't land. But when Li Ke's punch missed, Zhang Mengqian suddenly stepped forward and punched Li Ke in the stomach.

Li Ke knelt on the ground with a groan, vomiting stomach acid. In the face of a master-level opponent's "preemptive strike' ability, it is difficult to win. This is why those Fate Weavers always win in battle.

In the monitoring room, a Home Family shouted, "Damn, they're fighting! Why are the Boss's two disciples fighting!?" But at this moment, Zhang Mengqian suddenly turned to look at the monitor, pointed with his index finger, signaling the camera to turn away.

The Home Families in the monitoring room were startled. How did the Boss's disciple seem to see everything? They quickly turned off the camera and stopped watching the fun.

At this time, Li Yunjing still pretended not to see anything. He went to the roadside and bought a Bing Gao, leaning against the door of a convenience store, biting into it bite by bite, like a passerby.

Zhang Mengqian walked beside Li Ke, continuing calmly, "You're the senior brother of this generation of the Knight Order. If you're so weak, who else can help Master? Master is working hard for us to get the chance to challenge the Trials of Life and Death. When he can't hold on anymore, he'll come back and fight with us. By then, you, who should be a Demi-God, will only be B-level. How disappointed Master will be."

"Can your self-pity compare to the suffering of the entire Federation? I know your sadness, I understand your sadness, but this world doesn't give us so much time for self-pity. I think..." Li Ke knelt on the ground, slowly stopping his vomiting, "I can't beat you, so why don't you be the senior brother?"

Zhang Mengqian smiled, "Then the second senior brother Hu Xiaoniu might be a little confused. Since you don't want to be the senior brother, why isn't he the senior brother?"

Li Ke sat on the ground in silence.

Zhang Mengqian said, "Get up. Master needs you. Maybe one day, your father will need you too."

Li Ke looked at him, "But you're right. My father's affairs are my father's affairs, and I can't stop here."

At this moment, his satellite phone rang. Li Ke frowned and answered it.

Qing Yi's cold voice came from the phone, "Where are you?"

Li Ke was startled, "I'm in City 5's Ninth District."

"Come to the airport, I've arrived," Qing Yi said coldly. Li Ke felt strange. He hailed a taxi and rushed to the airport.

Li Yunjing sat in the passenger seat, Zhang Mengqian and Li Ke in the back. Zhang Mengqian curiously asked, "Did he come here specially to scold you? Your father killed so many Guardians' Union members and sent a combat brigade to besiege Qing Yi in City 10. It's normal for him to resent your father. I believe your friendship will return sooner or later." Li Ke looked out of the window without speaking.

The car drove into the airport, where a Class A Airship painted with the words "City 10' was parked in the most conspicuous position.

Around it were more than ten civilian Class C transport airships, with Qing Family members busy loading supplies onto them. Only here could one deeply feel the coming war, everyone racing against time.

Seeing them arrive, the Class A Airship opened its hatch, and Qing Yi walked down from the ramp, coming to Li Ke, and punched him in the stomach. Li Ke didn't dodge, curling up like a shrimp. Qing Yi is also a Zhunti Method B-level, and this punch was not light. Qing Yi stood in front of Li Ke with a gloomy face, "Fight back! Don't you dare fight back?"

Li Ke slowly straightened up, "You were besieged, it's normal for you to be angry..."

Qing Yi sneered, "Do you think I'm angry because your father participated in the suppression of the Guardians' Union? I'm angry because you're so depressed!" Li Ke was startled.

The next moment, a shout came from afar, "Loading complete!" Qing Yi turned towards the Airship, "I don't have time to talk nonsense with you. Two more fleets have arrived from the West Continent, and there may be two more Air Fortresses. I have a lot to do, everyone is busy, so quickly go challenge your Trials of Life and Death. When Mr. returns from the West Continent, you'd better be a Demi-God."

Li Ke also turned without hesitation and walked towards the outside of the airport, towards the Southwest Snowy Mountains, to undergo the Trials of Life and Death.