Chapter Sixty-Four: The Arrival of the Reaper (Part One)

"Where are we headed next?" Sitting atop the airship, Wu Jue gazed out the window at the sky, a strange sense of oppression suddenly pressing down on him.

Xiao Yang checked his computer and replied, "I just found something on the Heavenly Execution Clan's network. The Heavenly Execution force stationed in W City ahead of us has lost contact for a long time. Apparently, they sent out several reinforcements, but none returned. I suspect the survivors there might have subdued the Heavenly Execution Clan."

"Survivors capable of that must be extremely formidable," Xiao Han couldn't help but say. "We should go have a look."

"W City?" Wu Jue frowned, unable to shake an odd feeling. He rubbed his forehead. "Shall we go, then?"

Huron came over and asked, "What's wrong? Not feeling well? Your cultivation might be hitting a plateau—take some time to reflect and comprehend."

Wu Jue nodded, closed his eyes, and began to meditate quietly, resting his mind and body.

Gradually, he seemed to drift into a state of clarity and emptiness, his consciousness suspended between lucidity and haze. Suddenly, a sequence of images flashed through his mind. It was as if he found himself standing in a deserted city.

Xiao Yang, An Yi, and Xiao Han were all there, discussing how the city felt utterly abandoned.

Huron waved him over, wanting to show him something. But just then, something fell from a tall building—a billboard broke loose and crashed down in an instant.

Wu Jue shouted a warning; everyone dodged aside, but Xiao Yang was too slow and was crushed beneath the billboard.

An Yi reached out to lift the heavy sign, but a nearby streetlamp inexplicably toppled, smashing down and cutting her body in two.

Blood gushed everywhere. Wu Jue and the others were stunned. An Yi was supposed to be invulnerable to blades and bullets—how could this happen?

Then came the screech of tearing metal above. Wu Jue looked up to see the fallen streetlamp dragging down overhead wires, which snapped and whipped downward, trailing sparks.

Xiao Han rushed forward to help, only to be struck and thrown by the live wires, her body bursting into sparks.

The city seemed to spiral into chaos—everywhere, objects teetered on the verge of collapse. Heavy debris fell at random; Huron, Xun’er, all met a similar fate. Even Wu Jue, reaching out to save someone, was suddenly rammed by a driverless car and sent flying.

Damn it, there was no driver in that car.

Wu Jue crashed heavily to the ground, pain snapping him back to consciousness.

He looked up, realizing he was still on the airship, drenched in cold sweat. Xiao Han, An Yi, and the others were by his side, worriedly asking what was wrong.

Wu Jue wiped the sweat from his brow, dazed. "I had a nightmare. I saw all of you... It wasn't real, but it felt so vivid. Maybe I shouldn't go to the next city."

The others had never seen Wu Jue so shaken. They tried to comfort him, "It'll be all right. We're almost there..."

As soon as the words left their lips, a low drone came from the airship. Every instrument went dark, and the entire craft plunged out of control toward the ground.

Wu Jue shouted, "Don't panic! Find a way to get off the airship and land somewhere safe!"

But it was as if no one could hear him. There was no answer; everyone just stumbled about as the airship lurched, unable to find an exit.

Faintly, Wu Jue thought he heard a voice murmur by his ear: "Here they come again, another group of guests."

***

By the time he hit the ground, Wu Jue no longer remembered how he escaped the airship. All he saw was choking smoke and utter devastation.

The city from his dream appeared before his eyes, almost identical to the nightmare's scene.

It seemed the prophecy had come true. The city he had entered was shrouded in a terrifying silence, as if unseen eyes watched their every move.

Wu Jue looked back at Xiao Yang, who staggered to his feet nearby. "Yes, this is the place—it's exactly like in my dream, Xiao Yang, you have to believe me."

Xiao Yang wiped blood from his face and grabbed him. "Wu Jue, at this point, how could I not believe you? Maybe someone's already set their sights on us."

"You're right. Weren't we told the Heavenly Execution Clan here showed no signs of life?" Wu Jue scanned their surroundings. "They must have been wiped out by some mysterious force."

Xiao Yang caught his breath. It was only thanks to Xiao Han pushing him out of the airship that he survived the fall. The armor alone wouldn't have been enough to land safely from that height.

For now, the others were missing—they would have to search for them one by one.

"I wonder how the others are. We need to get in touch with everyone as soon as possible," Xiao Yang said anxiously, wanting to return to the airship to retrieve his computer and access more information.

He had barely taken a step when something creaked overhead. Wu Jue lunged and pulled him aside just as the head from a nearby statue fell, shattering at Xiao Yang's feet.

A split-second slower and it would have crushed Xiao Yang's skull. He sucked in a cold breath. His armor protected his whole body—except his head, for which he had no helmet. If that had struck him, he'd be dead.

"What the hell is going on? This is unreal!" Xiao Yang asked in disbelief.

Wu Jue's face was grim. "In my dream, everyone died from these disasters. If you want to survive, don't act rashly, and stay alert to everything around us."

Xiao Yang glanced around warily. The city's desolation made every corner look deadly.

It reminded him of a horror film—"Final Destination."

"My god, is there really a Grim Reaper, controlling everything from the shadows?" Even Xiao Yang, who loved tales of the supernatural, found it hard to believe.

Wu Jue, both vigilant and thoughtful, said, "What if it's not death itself, but someone with special abilities? Like the Mirror Hero, or the Dragon Clan. Or perhaps there really is a Grim Reaper in this world."

He heightened his senses, scanning the environment—and a nameless terror crept into his heart.

This city was more than ruined; it was brimming with peril. Wu Jue's perception revealed that everything around them was subtly shifting, inching toward collapse.

Overhead, power lines sparked and sizzled. The screws on nearby billboards were loosening, the ground swirled with rising dust. Everything within reach was subtly, insidiously changing, ready to trigger disaster at any moment.

"It seems we have no choice but to fight the Reaper," Wu Jue said calmly. "Xiao Yang, put on your X-ray glasses. Do everything you can to stay alive."

With that, Wu Jue sprang into action. It was time to battle death itself.

The instant he leapt, several power poles snapped with a crackling shower of sparks, crashing down from above.

Fortunately, Wu Jue's reflexes were extraordinary. A few lightning-quick dodges took him to a safer spot.

He had barely steadied himself when his foot struck something sharp, sending him stumbling.

From behind, he heard the whistle of something flying toward him—a steel rod, launched from who knows where, aimed straight at the back of his head. One blow would shatter his skull.

From a distance, Xiao Yang shouted, "Master, look out!"

But it was already too late.

End of Chapter 64: The Grim Reaper Arrives (Part 1)