"Auntie..." Lin Qiye's body trembled slightly the moment he saw the caller ID.
The next moment, an extremely fierce whip kick was swung in front of him!
Lin Qiye ducked down with lightning speed, dodging the attack, and countered with a sweeping leg kick, slamming heavily into Scorpion One's ankle...
Scorpion swayed slightly, but remained as steady as a mountain.
"So tough!" Lin Qiye cursed under his breath, his Star Blade suddenly blocking the folding knife, but the terrifying force from the blade still sent him flying!
He barely stabilized himself in the snow, but the phone was jolted from his hand and fell into the snow nearby.
"Oh~ the cute Smurfs~~ oh~ the cute Smurfs~~"
Scorpion glanced at the phone in the snow and sneered:
"A family member's phone call? Is it that woman? Or that child?"
Lin Qiye slowly stood up, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and a chilling killing intent appeared in his dark eyes.
Scorpion, completely unfazed by Lin Qiye's gaze, shrugged and continued:
"Right... Today is New Year's Eve. They probably want to ask how you're doing out there? Did you prepare a New Year's Eve dinner? And then tell you that they are all safe and sound... Hehe..."
Before Scorpion could finish speaking, Lin Qiye's figure swept across the snow-covered ground, the intertwined sword shadows in his hands blooming like butterflies, the pale blue blades aimed straight at his neck!
Scorpion blocked several of Lin Qiye's attacks in succession, let out a low roar, and his powerful blood and qi surged out, increasing his strength several times over, which sent Lin Qiye flying!
Lin Qiye nimbly adjusted his angle in mid-air before landing heavily on the ground, his single sword embedded in the snow to stabilize himself.
In fact, under Lin Qiye's terrifying dynamic vision, the speed difference between the two was not insurmountable, but the huge difference in strength always put Lin Qiye at a disadvantage.
If things continue like this, we won't be able to defeat Sasori. There must be another way...
Lin Qiye stared at Scorpion One, his thoughts racing.
"What a heartwarming family..." Scorpion, gripping his folding knife, calmly walked towards Lin Qiye. "I bet they have no idea what you're doing, no idea that you're so close yet so far away..."
"How could they, immersed in the joy of the New Year, have imagined that you were fighting to the death so close to them?"
"Oh, right..."
"After I kill you, I'll hang your head outside their balcony. They'll be terrified when they see it at the New Year's bells, won't they?"
Scorpion's smile grew increasingly sinister!
Lin Qiye gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, suppressing the churning blood in his chest. He staggered to his feet in the snow, the surrounding darkness barely visible...
Having fought the Mad Scorpion Squad for so long, the duration of the Darkest Ruins was almost over, and his mental strength was nearing its limit. If he couldn't end the battle soon, he would surely die!
"Over the mountains and across the sea, there lives a group of Smurfs..."
The cheerful ringtone still echoed in the snow; this was the second time the music had played, and the aunt on the other end of the line still seemed to have no intention of hanging up.
Lin Qiye took a deep breath, and the darkness in his eyes reappeared, while the surrounding Darkest Ruins also stabilized.
Whoosh—!
He suddenly pulled out the Star Blade stuck in the snow, pointed both blades diagonally at the ground, and approached Scorpion One like lightning!
"At the end of its rope." Scorpion chuckled and assumed a fighting stance once more.
Lin Qiye's figure quickly approached Scorpion One. Just as their bodies were about to collide, Lin Qiye took a sudden step forward, his foot sinking deep into the snow.
Bang—!
Under the influence of the Darkest Ruins, the snow beneath their feet suddenly erupted, as if a bomb had been buried in the snow, exploding into a vast expanse of white snow!
The drifting snowflakes instantly blinded Scorpion One. He frowned slightly, and with his years of combat experience, his body reacted swiftly!
Clang—!
Without hesitation, he swung his folding knife, successfully blocking Lin Qiye's sword from the side. When Scorpion saw that Lin Qiye's figure was exposed, a smile appeared on his lips that said, "I knew you were going to do this."
But then, he couldn't laugh anymore.
Amidst the drifting snowflakes, Lin Qiye slashed at Scorpion One's folding knife, while his other hand... remained empty.
Where was the second blade?
The thought flashed through Scorpion One's mind, and a strong sense of crisis surged into his heart. Just as he was about to make a move, Lin Qiye's eyes once again flashed with a dazzling golden light!
The Seraph's divine power traversed the void and poured directly into Scorpion's mind, turning his spirit upside down and causing him to freeze for a second.
Lin Qiye, having exhausted his mental energy, let out a muffled groan, his face ashen, and fell backward.
At the same time, he gently gestured with his left hand...
Zhao Kongcheng's Star Blade sliced through the falling snowflakes, silently piercing Scorpion One's nape and effortlessly severing his head...
Fresh blood gushed out like a spring!
Lin Qiye stumbled and fell in the snow. Zhao Kongcheng's sword landed beside him, its blade clearly reflecting his face and the slightly upturned corners of his mouth.
"We won..." Lin Qiye glanced at the dead Scorpion One, who was lying on his back in the snow, panting heavily.
He has no spiritual energy left.
This desperate counterattack against Scorpion One was extremely dangerous. No matter which step Lin Qiye miscalculated or took, he would have faced utter ruin.Fortunately, he won.
"Oh~ the cute Smurfs~~ oh~ the cute Smurfs~~"
The phone rang again after a long silence. Lin Qiye struggled to his feet, using the blade of his sword to support himself, and staggered into the snow to pick up the phone.
Then he reached out and touched Scorpion's corpse for a while, took off the silver nameplate, and put it in his pocket.
"Hello, Auntie."
"You silly child! I've been calling you for so long and you haven't picked up! What are you doing? Huh? Have you been away for so long that you don't want your Aunt anymore?"
A series of familiar voices came from the other end of the phone, their tone full of anxiety.
Lin Qiye's lips curled up slightly. He dragged his blood-stained knife and staggered over the corpses, each step leaving a scarlet footprint in the snow.
"Auntie, I was chatting with my comrades and didn't see my phone," he said softly.
"You child..."
"Can't you even call home during the Chinese New Year?"
"I was planning to call tonight..."
"Originally, originally... Hmph." Auntie paused, her voice softening, "How are you doing in the army? Are you alright? Is Lin Xi Chen eating well?"
Lin Qiye wiped the blood off his face and walked to a corner of a corridor. He looked out the window at the small building, from which he could clearly see his aunt making a phone call on the balcony.
His hand holding the phone trembled slightly. After a long pause, he spoke gently:
"It's alright auntie, we're fine."
"The Lunar New Year is almost here, do you have New Year's Eve dinner in your unit?"
"Yes, our captain is already preparing it, I can eat as soon as I get back."
"Go back? You're outside?"
"...No, I mean, we can eat at the cafeteria."
"Oh..." Auntie paused for a moment, then continued, "Then, then you should eat more..."
Lin Qiye seemed to sense that his aunt's mood was off, and took the initiative to speak:
"Auntie, we won't be home this year, so your New Year's Eve dinner needs to be extra lavish."
"Of course, don't worry. I'm stewing fish in this pot right now, it smells amazing. There'll also be pork coming up later and spicy fried pork, but... since you guys are not home, we might not be able to finish it all."
"Ah Jin is growing, you need to make sure he eats more."
"Oh, by the way, do you want to talk to your brother for a bit?"
"OK."
On the balcony, Auntie quietly wiped away her tears, turned around and went into the house, handing the phone to Yang Jin.
"Hey, bro."
"Ah Jin, you weren't clumsy when I wasn't home, were you?"
"Of course not, brother, why do you ask that?"
"...No, I just mentioned it casually."
"Brother, how's life where you are? Does Xiao Chen miss me too?"
"It's fine, don't worry. Well, sometimes, she whine that she misses home, misses the food our aunt makes. Typical of our Xiao Chen."
"If you're too tired, it's okay to come back. Even if the sky falls, there are always tall people to hold it up."
Lin Qiye remained silent for a moment, then hummed in agreement.
The two brothers just held their phones for a long time, neither of them saying a word...
"Hey, you child, you've been away from your brother for so long, have you grown distant?" Seeing that the two weren't talking, the aunt simply took the phone from them.
"Xiao Qi, I'm not talking to you anymore. The fish in my pot is ready, I need to go take it out."
"Okay, Auntie."
"Um..."
"Auntie."
"Hm?"
Lin Qiye stood in the corner of the corridor, watching the busy figure. After a long while, he smiled and spoke:
"Happy New Year."
"Yes, Happy New Year."