Chapter Twelve: After All, Morgana Is an Alien

Chapter Twelve: After All, Morgana Is an Alien

Just after Rose had fallen asleep, something strange occurred. A follower of the Grim Reaper suddenly erupted in violence, injuring others. The soldier, whose nerves had been frayed by Yunyang’s tragedy, reacted instinctively and shot him dead without hesitation.

Witnessing his own soldier kill a civilian, Company Commander Li Kangkang was immediately enraged. He intended to confine the soldier and send him to a military tribunal. Yet before he could even begin to reprimand him, a bizarre phenomenon unfolded—a glowing, spectral figure rose from the corpse, casting a chilling, sinister aura over the camp.

The spirit, realizing its transformation, bellowed that it was a servant of the Reaper and accused everyone else of being incarnations of evil. Sensing this was no ordinary incident, Kangkang decided the military tribunal was no longer relevant, but the soldier still needed to be confined. The poor man was thus ordered to voluntarily place himself in detention for three days.

The following morning, just as the sky began to lighten, Wei Qi arrived at Rose’s quarters, towing a coffin behind him—a Western-style one, he explained, as he hadn’t managed to procure thick planks for a traditional design. Surprisingly, the coffin fit perfectly; Yunyang, wrapped in a quilt, fit snugly inside. Secured to his motorcycle, they prepared to set out.

Meanwhile, in North America, as dusk settled, the leader of the Skull Party was deep in conversation with the head of a top international assassin organization.

“This is the elite killer you’ve selected?” Zorn eyed the leader skeptically.

“Yes. I chose forty candidates from the world’s foremost assassin guilds, trained them for six years, then had them battle each other. The last one standing is the world’s top assassin.” The head, keen to please his client, rushed to provide credentials.

Zorn scrutinized the killer, then asked, “Are you absolutely loyal to me?”

“Yes, sir!” the killer replied crisply. “Utterly loyal.”

After a few casual exchanges, Zorn issued his command. “We’ve invested countless resources in you. I want you to head to the Huaxia battlefront and find this person. She’s formidable—possesses powers akin to an alien. We believe you’re up to the task.” He handed the assassin a photo of Rose.

“Clarify for me—‘deal with her’ as in kill her, or… ‘deal’ with her?” As a world-class assassin, he knew better than to misinterpret the client’s wishes.

“What? Bring her to me. Don’t damage her body.”

Realizing he’d misunderstood, the assassin nodded firmly. “Rest assured, I carry my mission with the utmost professionalism. I will not be swayed by seduction.”

Back in Huaxia, as they packed Yunyang into the coffin, someone checked his body. It was still soft, even faintly warm, as if some mysterious force protected him. This eased Rose’s anxiety—if Yunyang wasn’t stiffening or decomposing, there was no rush.

Rose, trailing behind the convoy, soon received orders: she was to proceed at once to the Black Great Wall. She quickly caught up to Kangkang and Wei Qi, instructed them to look after the civilians, and set off toward the Black Great Wall.

At the entrance to the Black Great Wall base, nestled in the mountains, a motorcycle bearing a coffin came to a halt. Awaiting her were a blonde beauty in a tight red military uniform and two soldiers. Stopping in front of them, Rose greeted the striking woman.

“Aunt Lianfeng.”

“Rose, what’s this?” Lianfeng responded, glancing at the coffin, visibly surprised.

“My friend—or perhaps even my beloved, as my comrades insist.” Following Lianfeng into the passage, Rose’s voice grew heavy as she carried Yunyang’s casket on her back.

“And this is?” Lianfeng was startled. Hadn’t General Ducao been trying to pair Rose with the bearer of the Galactic Force? How did this girl already have a lover? Unable to contain her curiosity, she asked outright.

“He was killed by Morgana. Because of me.” Rose felt it was her own carelessness—allowing Yunyang to be struck down by Morgana at her side, failing to remain vigilant, bringing Morgana into the camp.

Lianfeng opened her mouth to speak but found herself lost for words. In her mind, a tragic epic played out: this man, unfazed by Morgana’s terrifying power, protected Rose and the civilians during their retreat, only to be slain by the enraged Morgana.

Rose and the researchers toured the Black Great Wall base, acquiring two sets of dark alloy combat suits, and were then tasked with finding Derena.

With business concluded, Rose sought out Aunt Lianfeng, who was resting, to make her request.

“Aunt Lianfeng, as you’ve seen, he isn’t ordinary. He developed artificial intelligence with Earth’s current technology and seems to be harboring some secret. After he was killed, his AI said he needed energy—if he gets enough, he can recover. Could you…?” She left the rest unsaid, trusting Lianfeng, who knew her well, would understand.

After some thought, Lianfeng, who cherished Rose as a daughter, said nothing more. She had Rose place the casket on the experimental platform and allocated some energy to try.

The results were startling—Yunyang’s face flushed with color, his long-stilled heart began to beat, but that was all. The base’s energy reserves were insufficient to fully revive him in one attempt.

Lianfeng offered an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, Rose. That’s all the energy I can give—there’s still research and manufacturing to be done here…” She left the rest unsaid, but Rose understood and thanked her sincerely. Packing up, she set off again in search of the “energy doll” Derena.

Elsewhere, Wei Qi and the advance team, scouting for the convoy, were blocked by a group of men in black.

Wei Qi dismounted and demanded to know their business. Learning that these foreigners were searching for Rose and seeking to exploit the chaos of war, the resolute man made a split-second decision, shooting dead two of the marauders. After all, this was all-out war—terrorists had come to Huaxia, seemingly unaware that this was a death zone for their kind.

Just then, a blond man in sunglasses, dressed in black, emerged from a vehicle with a shoulder-mounted rocket launcher. As he prepared to fire, a single, well-aimed sniper shot took him out—sending him not to King Yan but to heaven, for foreigners weren’t under the jurisdiction of Chinese gods. It was the newly arrived international elite assassin—his debut, and already met with death.

Seeing their own top assassin shot dead, the remaining men in black opened fire, pinning Wei Qi behind a car.

Before they could close in, an armored vehicle roared up in the distance. With a thunderous boom, a shell sent one of the black-clad men’s cars flying.

Faced with heavy artillery, the rest panicked, screamed, and turned tail. Wei Qi wasn’t about to let them escape after such an assault. He ordered his comrades to cover the armored car while he jumped into a jeep to give chase.

As the men in black sped away, they saw only one jeep in pursuit. “He must have a death wish,” they thought, and opened fire, riddling the jeep with bullets. Fortunately, the domestically produced bulletproof glass held strong—only a spiderweb of fine cracks appeared, but no real harm done. Wei Qi, trusting its quality, ignored the flying bullets and kept on their tail.

As Rose hurried back, she heard the sounds of gunfire and went to investigate, arriving just in time to witness a high-speed chase between soldiers and bandits. She was about to join the pursuit when she saw a rocket launcher aimed at Wei Qi. Without hesitation, she used a key to equip Wei Qi with a newly acquired set of dark alloy combat armor.

Seeing the rocket hurtling toward him, Wei Qi felt a sense of impending doom, but had no regrets—this was a soldier’s duty: to die for the motherland. His only sorrow was for his parents. Instincts honed by years of training kicked in—he executed a tactical roll, was thrown clear by the blast, tumbled several times, and miraculously landed on his feet—alive! Stunned by his own resilience, he then noticed the black combat suit that had appeared on his body, and suddenly understood.

Witnessing the ruthless violence of the attackers, Rose acted swiftly, braking hard without caring if the motorcycle toppled—Yunyang wouldn’t be harmed. She slipped through a micro-wormhole, landing in front of the oncoming black SUVs, waiting for their arrival.

As the two jeeps sped toward her, she prepared to halt them, but they stopped on their own, claiming she was the one they sought. Rose had no dealings with foreigners, much less terrorists who dared to infiltrate Huaxia.

Before she could question them, the terrorists began whispering amongst themselves. As a super-soldier, Rose’s senses were acute—she heard every word.

“That’s Rose?”

“She looks like Iron Man.”

“Maybe we should try the rocket launcher on her.”

At that moment, Wei Qi, realizing he was unharmed, caught up. Hearing the terrorists plan to use the same rocket on Rose, he didn’t wait for them to act—he fired two shots, each one finding its mark.

Seeing their comrades fall to the Chinese soldier’s bullets, the remaining two opened fire, but the bullets merely clinked off Rose and Wei Qi, leaving them unscathed.

The two men froze, realizing they couldn't win a fight nor outrun their pursuers now that their vehicles had stopped.

They dared not move, but Rose did. Unconcerned about their reloaded magazines, she addressed them directly.

“Are you finished? If you’re done, it’s my turn. Tell me—who sent you?”

Outmatched and with nowhere to run, they had no choice but to answer honestly.

“Mo... Morgana.”

“How did you get involved with Morgana? What did she send you here to do?” Rose pressed, her tone hardening at the mention of Morgana.

“Morgana likes Rose.”

“What? Why would a demon queen like me?” Rose was incredulous, but also began to understand Morgana’s motives for targeting Yunyang.

“Rose must be Morgana’s finest warrior.”

“I am a soldier of Huaxia—Morgana is my mortal enemy. How could I ever be her warrior?” Rose’s tone was one of disbelief.

“Isn’t this all highly confidential? How can you just spill everything?” Wei Qi couldn’t help but interject.

The men in black replied in a rather amusing fashion.

“If we don’t say it, what’s the point? Morgana’s an alien anyway.”

“Well, I must admit, I like you a little better now,” Wei Qi said, a faint smile forming.