BXBX NOVEL Chapter 191: Leaving Icevale (2)
At the top was Josephine, chased by unknown forces, her enemy present even before his arrival and thus not directly related to him.
Next in line was Gabriel, a threat primarily focused on Anran.
Lastly, he contended with the mysterious Ghosts pursuing him, alongside Prometheus, an powerful organization that had branded him the world\'s most wanted.
These three opponents, each with their own veiled agendas, left Wang Xiao uncertain whether they acted independently or were interconnected.
He was determined to explore this mystery, seeking to dismantle these threats systematically.
He had braced himself for the worst possible outcomes, yet he also allowed himself a sliver of hope for an ideal resolution.
In the best-case scenario, his whereabouts remained a secret, Luna was not a betrayer but an ally.
This alliance would significantly reduce his list of adversaries and give him additional strength.
However, to confirm whether the entity hunting Luna was distinct from his other foes, Wang Xiao needed to delve deeper.
This complex web of alliances and enmities did not dampen his spirits; rather, it brought a smile to his face.
The intricate game unfolding before him was slowly becoming clearer, offering him the leverage he sought on the global stage.
In the immediate future, Wang Xiao desired nothing more than to recede into the shadows, to observe and analyze the situation from a distance.
He believed that obscurity was his ally, that fading from the public eye would diminish the heat over him.
Li Zhiming had hinted that with time, the world\'s attention would shift, allowing Wang Xiao to slip through the cracks of their collective memory.
This strategy of deliberate disappearance was precisely what he aimed for, a tactical retreat in anticipation of a more advantageous position.
_________
1:00 AM, May 20th, 2026.
Chop-chop-chop!
Silence draped the night, shattered only by the fierce chopping of a military helicopter\'s rotors slicing through the air, its thunderous shockwaves an invisible storm raging across the sky.
Inside, Josephine, swaddled in a thin blanket, peered out into the darkness, her voice tinged with a mix of curiosity and anticipation. "Hm? Why are we heading towards Lovon? Will you all be staying with us?"
Though Wang Xiao had mentioned their departure, he had only revealed Sylvia, the capital of Sylvergard and its myriad islands, as their initial destination.
Lovon, known for its majestic royal palace, now loomed as their unexpected endpoint, sparking hopes in Josephine of a grand stay perhaps within its walls.
However, Wang Xiao\'s response shattered her brief daydream. "We\'ll be stopping here," he declared abruptly as the helicopter began to decelerate.
Whoosh!
With a swift motion, Wang Xiao slid the door open, revealing the night sky\'s vast expanse, the air rushing in with fervent gusto.
"Huh?" Josephine\'s stunned exclamation mirrored her disbelief, a sentiment quickly shared by Aisha and Anran, who exchanged bewildered glances with Wang Xiao.
"Josephine, the helicopter will return you to the palace. As for us, our exit is now," Wang Xiao proclaimed, his tone final.
"What!?" Aisha\'s mind reeled, panic threading through her thoughts as Anran nonchalantly tossed a backpack onto her lap. "Aim for the bushes," she instructed, her calm demeanor in stark contrast to the ongoing chaos.
Without a moment\'s hesitation, Wang Xiao began hurling their luggage out into the void, each piece disappearing into the darkness below.
"Wait, are you serious—" Josephine\'s horrified protest was cut short as Wang Xiao leapt from the helicopter, his figure swiftly swallowed by the night.
Swoosh!
"Wait for me," Anran\'s voice was the last echo of assurance before she, gripping Aisha\'s hand, plunged into the abyss, leaving behind a trail of disbelief and a startled cry from Aisha that pierced the night.
Josephine, left alone with her thoughts and the receding figures of her companions, was snapped back to reality by the helicopter pilot\'s confused statement. "Hm? They left their parachutes…" he muttered, a puzzled frown creasing his brow as a chilling realization dawned.
The emergency parachutes had indeed been abandoned, a fact underscored by the discovery that the backpack Anran had given Aisha contained only essentials—no parachutes.
In that moment, the air within the helicopter grew colder, Josephine, her voice a mix of confusion and urgency, broke the silence. "Where is Luna?" Her eyes scanned the cabin, registering the absence of the new girl who had become an mystery unto herself.
Far below, the night over Kingshölm Island, a stone\'s throw from Levon Island, was pierced by the thrill of freefall.
Four figures, Luna included, were plummeting through the air, a silent pact among them as they embraced the void.
"Hehe... I always wanted to free fall like this without parachutes!" Anran\'s voice cut through the rush of wind, her excitement barely audible over the roar of the air.
Together, they formed a circle in the sky, around them, bags and luggage floated as if trapped in an invisible web, a visible display of the unseen forces at play.
Wang Xiao, the architect of their aerial ballet, concentrated deeply. He was manipulating an invisible barrier, a skillful display of psychokinesis (PK), ensuring their luggage remained suspended, cloaked from any prying eyes below.
Amidst the adrenaline, Aisha\'s screams filled the void, a stark contrast to Luna\'s serene observation of Wang Xiao.
His focus was unwavering, his abilities ensuring their descent was controlled and unseen.
Luna\'s eyes sparkled with an otherworldly light, catching Wang Xiao\'s attention and momentarily breaking his concentration.
"I\'ll be back in a week... Take care, master! <3" Luna\'s voice, light yet firm, reached him just as she winked out of existence.
"Ahhhh!?" Aisha\'s scream, full of surprise and fear, tore through the moment. Suddenly feeling Luna\'s absence, she frantically reached for Wang Xiao, seeking stability.
Whoosh!
A fleeting ray of light vanished as quickly as it appeared, leaving Wang Xiao questioning, "Did she... just escape?"
[I didn\'t see her leave; it was too quick, but she\'s gone now.]
"Too fast? What do you mean?" Wang Xiao\'s voice was a mix of intrigue and lingering frustration.
Yin Yue, uncertain and slightly in awe, replied, [No idea, she must\'ve used her abilities.]
Wang Xiao\'s silence was heavy, a storm of frustration brewing within him.
Where had Luna gone?
Was this the beginning of a downward spiral of fortune for him?
Despite the uncertainty and the unexpected turn of events, Wang Xiao knew retreat wasn\'t an option.
His path was set, and the future, though now more unpredictable, still awaited his next move.
With a deep breath, he focused on the descent, the immediate challenge of landing safely commanding his full attention.
The mysteries surrounding Luna and what lay ahead would have to wait.
For now, survival was paramount, and the game, with all its unforeseen players and rules, would continue.
_______
Whoooosh!
A streak of brilliance carved its path across the heavens, a solitary ray of light bridging the vast expanse from the north to the south Atlantic Ocean.
Mid-flight, this celestial beam halted abruptly, its photons coalescing with ethereal grace into the form of a woman suspended in the air.
Her shoulder-length white hair danced in the wind, framing a face marked by serene composure.
Below her, the unique formation of Tristan Da Cunha, Inaccessible Island, and Nightingale Island lay spread out, their arrangement drawing a perfect triangle from this aerial vantage point.
She hovered precisely at the center of this natural trinity, a position that would have left Wang Xiao in awe, for she had traversed eleven thousand kilometers in the blink of an eye.
This feat, achieved by disassembling her very being into particles of light, was what Luna referred to as FTL movement—faster than light travel.
"Damn, I\'m already feeling heavy; that bastard drained all my energy..." she grumbled, the exertion of her journey manifesting as a profound weariness. Her gaze drifted to the ocean below, and with a sense of urgency, her descent began.
Swoosh!
With the grace of an eagle and the finesse of a surfer riding the crest of a wave, Luna glided downward. She manipulated the very air around her, altering its refractive index to create a seamless glide.
This manipulation wasn\'t just aerodynamic; it was a ballet of physics, bending light to interact with Earth\'s magnetic field. She created a localized anomaly where gravity\'s grip loosened, allowing her to float and fall in a controlled dance of her anti gravity bubble.
Splash!
Her entry into the ocean was a whisper, her form merging with the water as if embracing an old friend.
Ordinarily, the journey to the ocean\'s abyss could be condensed into mere seconds through her FTL capabilities.
However, the toll of her recent exertions loomed large; another instance of instantaneous travel could very well fragment her being, scattering her essence across the void.
Thus, she opted for a more measured approach. Harnessing the ethereal properties of light, Luna descended towards the ocean floor, located four thousand kilometers below.
This deliberate pace was a evidence to her respect for the natural order, even as she bent its rules to her will.
As Luna descended through the aqueous abyss, her thoughts wandered, swirling like the water currents around her. "This energy drain... it\'s more severe than I anticipated," she mused internally smiling wryly, the weight of her recent exertion pressing down on her consciousness. "Gabrial ...
You bastard, wait for me to break your bones!" She cursed inwardly, her resolve hardening with each remembered grievance, the debt yet unpaid, waiting to be returned tenfold.
The cold embrace of the ocean deep whispered secrets, ancient and timeless.