Solflare: The Painter's Secret

Chapter 182: Wings of Ruin

The morning in Bastion City was solemn. Vehicles drove slowly on the streets as they disappeared beneath the fog.

The branches of the trees in Storm Mansion were wet. Birds covered themselves in their nests, and red ants cushioned themselves under slightly dried leaves.

Loud footsteps echoed in the mansion as Lily ran from her room to the stairs.

"Be careful, you may fall," Min-seo cautioned, but remained at the side of the kitchen door, her arms full of glass cups.

"Sis," Min-ji called out. "Let her be. At least if she hurts herself, it wouldn’t be you who would be injured."

Min-seo ignored her comment, then went and arranged the cups on the table. She walked back to the kitchen, then glanced at Min-ji with a sharp stare.

"Why do you always want to get yourself fired from here?" she asked.

Min-ji stood up, chuckled, then brushed her palms on her apron. "What else do you think I would want if I have to keep seeing that damned lady here all the time?"

Min-seo didn’t say a word. She simply turned her head toward the kitchen door as footsteps slowly drew near.

Zoe appeared by the door, then asked, "Do you need help?"

Min-seo swiftly looked at Min-ji’s suddenly silenced face, then answered while smiling. "It’s okay. We are fine."

...

The street of Eastgate was busy as countless vehicles drove on it. MRAPs that had blood on them, and ones that seemed to have been scraped freshly from the factory.

The Black Ops squad descended. The Yanlous exited first, their arms around each other’s shoulders. "What a crazy mission."

They spoke in one voice, breathed in the same sequence, and continued, placing the same steps on the ground.

Samir closed his eyes the moment he got down, then inhaled the air of the Agathan Special Force barracks.

Tiger stood by his side the moment he cracked his eyes open.

"Are you really going to sabotage them?" he asked without looking at Tiger.

"Kill me if I don’t," Tiger stated in a low but firm voice.

Silence ruled between them for a while before Samir took his first step. "Then I wouldn’t like it if you alone enjoyed the treasures they would be carrying on their way back."

...

The dormant flight field of the barracks was now alive as boots stamped on it, sending the gravel shaking.

An Lang led, his hands in his pockets, hair shaved so neatly that the little left reflected the sky above him. The war discs hung at his back, crossed together like bows.

"What are we traveling in?" he asked, turning at a ninety-degree angle.

Wu Ze walked past him without answering or even looking at the handsome boy. She simply smiled with her eyes and stopped a few meters away.

Liu Yan followed, wearing a sleek dark green combat suit that matched her frame, its armoured plating sitting flush against her shoulders and knees. Her black sword rested at her back. She slowed her steps when she reached Wu Ze’s side.

Hei Yung, Hei Luo, and Lu Wang followed, wearing their black suits, hands behind their backs. They didn’t stop like the three Madhouse squad members had.

Lastly was Leon. His appearance alone made the boldness An Lang carried dissipate in seconds. His mouth opened wide, as if forgetting how to close. His eyes widened as if they wanted to pop out.

Leaves drifted around Leon, slowly lowering to the ground before the heels of his boots could touch it.

A gust of air slammed on his chest, letting the tips of the red cloth hanging around his neck dance and wobble.

When he walked past An Lang, the boy nearly bent forward without meaning to. Liu Yan forced herself to remain stiff, but her eyes said otherwise. She kept her gaze ahead, but something in her chest shifted quietly and refused to settle.

Wu Ze smiled with the corners of her lips when Leon slowly walked past them. Something stirred at the edge of her awareness, brief and uninvited. She shut it down before it could take any shape.

...

The iron door of the vehicle bay slid upward when Hei Luo pressed a remote. A new wave of air washed over them when the secret behind the door finally came into view.

Circular warplanes were arranged neatly on the left, hexagonal motorcycles on the right.

"Wow," An Lang exclaimed. "Are these all for us?"

Lu Wang looked at him, then smiled, shaking his head. The smile on Lu Wang’s face remained the same even when they neared the vehicle that loomed at the center, a covering draped over it.

Wu Ze’s face gleamed with fear as memories of her childhood rampaged through her mind. She was little when her birth city got swallowed by warplanes. A triangular vehicle that collapsed right on her mother became the last image she had carried from that day.

And now, under the roof of the Agathan Special Force vehicle bay, was a vehicle similar to that.

"Is that?" she asked, closing the gap between her and the covered craft.

"The Triarch," Hei Yung concluded before she could even pull the black covering away.

The name landed so heavily in her head that she stumbled two steps back, her chest heaving faster than usual.

When she saw everyone watching, she composed herself and forced a stiff smile.

Hei Yung turned to Lu Wang, then stated in a soft voice, "Do us the honor, brother."

Lu Wang gave a single nod, then walked toward the red button on the left wall. He looked at the button, at the faces of the Madhouse squad, particularly at Leon, then gave a short exhale.

With a single press, lights began turning on as the black cloth pulled away.

The sharp pointed nose of the craft gleamed as the rays of the sun fell on it. Although they weren’t yet inside, they could already feel what the vehicle was capable of.

An Lang stepped forward, walked to the section that seemed to be a door, then stopped. He brushed his palms across it, imagining what flying something like this would feel like.

...

Entering was like stepping onto a promised land. An Lang was the first. He froze when he saw the pilot section gleaming as if scraped out of heaven.

Wu Ze and Liu Yan followed. They simply went and sat on the seats behind the control unit of the craft, right behind the single pilot seat.

Outside, Hei Yung placed a hand on Leon’s shoulder, then whispered, "Their safety is in your hands."