Chapter 109: Overture of the Undead (Dirge Version)

There were still five days before the Battle Performance between R and Xian.

At one in the afternoon, in the Northern Eighty-Eight Pearl String District, Le Xiaotian put on his windbreaker and lit a cigarette, his expression grave. As the date drew nearer, so did the pressure weighing on him.

As they walked, Chen Fang laughed. “What is this? Even our First Commander has moments when he frowns?”

Le Xiaotian exhaled a plume of smoke and smiled without answering. Instead, he continued walking.

Before long, the two of them reached a nearby training ground, where they found Chen Zhuo hard at work practicing Guijia.

Chen Zhuo looked up and froze.

He walked over to Chen Fang, circled her once, and finally exclaimed in astonishment, “Sis?”

Chen Fang smiled. “What’s wrong? You don’t even recognize your own sister now?”

Chen Zhuo nodded. “It’s not that I don’t recognize you. I completely don’t recognize you! Sis, you look more like my little sister.”

He then grinned at Le Xiaotian. “Brother-in-law, you’re impressive. You’ve rejuvenated my sister. What’s your secret? Teach me.”

Chen Fang’s face flushed red. She scolded him coquettishly, “You little rascal. You do nothing useful all day long. Xiaotian says you’re in love?”

At that, Chen Zhuo ran over to Le Xiaotian with a bitter expression. “Brother-in-law, it’s been so many days. When are we leaving?”

Le Xiaotian flicked away his cigarette butt and smiled. “How’s your training? If you’re ready, we can leave now.”

“It’s not bad, I suppose,” Chen Zhuo replied, sounding uncertain. “Why don’t you listen for yourself, Brother-in-law?”

At that moment, all three of them froze. A commotion had erupted nearby.

A large crowd was heading toward them, their arrival accompanied by considerable uproar.

Le Xiaotian walked over, and soon understood who they were and why they had come.

They were the families of the agents who had died in battle some time ago. They had come to strongly condemn the criminals of the Star Suppression Tower.

Were they fools? Had they not seen that the relatives who came before them had been killed as well?

Le Xiaotian immediately sensed that something was wrong. Then a name surfaced in his mind:

Bi Muyang.

With that thought, he stepped before the crowd, who were being held back by soldiers, and shouted, “Everyone, I am Le Xiaotian, the highest-ranking commander here. For your own safety, please return home.”

The moment he appeared, the crowd began roaring even more furiously.

“Commander, can’t we even come here to mourn our families?”

“Commander, my child’s body still hasn’t been found. You owe me an explanation!”

“Commander, are you trying to stop us?”

Faced with the clamoring crowd, Le Xiaotian signaled his subordinates to let them through.

Then he said nothing more. He simply walked to a piano and began to play.

Before long, everyone had gathered around, whispering among themselves.

Yet the instant Le Xiaotian pressed the keys, all the voices fell silent.

The piano piece commonly known as Requiem of the Undead was originally titled Dawn. The present title was merely the result of a later mistranslation when it spread into the country.

“Clang, clang, clang.”

A few simple notes rang out, and the entire scene instantly fell quiet. His performance was divine.

As the prelude unfolded, Le Xiaotian began to howl out the song:

Night spreads across the fields of blood,
And the wan yellow moon cannot illuminate
Or disperse the death that will not be forgotten.
Forgotten—what remains within the heart?
A withered heart.

The sky grows pale.
I awaken beside the tomb.

The walls of Bell-Toll Town
Retain only mottled pain and wounds.

I look back, then look back again
At the battlefield of blood and fire,
At the glory that once was.

Only shells remain—
Slaughtered bodies, hollow eye sockets,
No blood, no tears, no light.

In the distance, I gaze into the distance,
At the splendor of the Dark City—
A splendor gone rotten.

Water cannot wash away
The old scars upon finger bones and armor.
Broken armor cannot conceal
The warrior’s ancient faith.

I grip my gun, then grip it once more,
Returning to the very front.
Where is the prince?
Where is vengeance?

A horn sounds in the distance once more.
When shall I return to my homeland?
And how can I ever return?

What has become of you now?
Whose bride are you?
For whom do you make your clothes?

Despair leaps like fire.
Who is murmuring that song?
Singing of the Forsaken’s sorrow,
Proving hope through battle.

Only shells remain—
Slaughtered bodies, hollow eye sockets,
No blood, no tears, no light—ah!

The crowd stared in shock. Every last person stood there dumbfounded.

It was awful—so unbelievably awful!

He had utterly ruined a divine song.

Every note was produced by Le Xiaotian’s hoarse, throat-tearing howl. From beginning to end, it was enough to raise goosebumps.

For a moment, everyone felt deeply uncomfortable. The image they had always held of Le Xiaotian had been completely destroyed.

Perhaps this was a song that overturned his usual persona. The expression on his face made people want to rush forward and slap him twice.

At last, the dreadful song ended, and everyone felt as though they had narrowly survived a catastrophe.

Le Xiaotian rose to his feet, once again assuming his former solemn expression. Facing the stunned crowd, he said, “Go home. Their deaths will not be in vain. If you are truly their family, then do not bring shame upon them.”

After saying this, he took a sharp spear from a nearby soldier and aimed it at the crowd.

“If you refuse to leave, you will be charged with treason. No quarter will be given!”

No quarter!

The crowd froze.

Several people began protesting in low voices, but when they saw Le Xiaotian standing there with the spear leveled across his body, they obediently fell silent.

Before long, the crowd began to disperse. They had received the answer they needed. From here on, everything could be entrusted to him.

At the same time, after a brief struggle, Qin Bufan dragged Bi Muyang over to apologize.

Le Xiaotian cast aside the spear and said coldly, “Major General Bi Muyang intended to sabotage the Battle Performance. In my capacity as the highest-ranking commander of the Star Suppression Tower mission, I sentence him to treason, strip him of all military rank, and transfer him to a military tribunal.”

Bi Muyang was stunned. He had intended to use the relatives of the fallen soldiers to appeal to Le Xiaotian’s emotions, but it had been completely useless. Le Xiaotian had simply adopted an uncompromising stance, and clearly did not care in the slightest.

Qin Bufan was stunned as well. That foolish nephew had refused to heed his warnings and insisted on provoking Le Xiaotian.

After his initial shock, however, Qin Bufan was no longer particularly nervous. Treason was a capital crime, but there was still room for a reversal. Once the Star Suppression Tower incident ended, Le Xiaotian would be in danger—because the Empress was still there.

Having understood how matters would unfold, Qin Bufan replied, “Yes, sir.”

Then he led Bi Muyang away.

Le Xiaotian knew as well that killing Bi Muyang was impossible. Perhaps this was for the best. Through what had happened today, the combat personnel had lost their last trace of wishful thinking. They would understand completely that, for these days to come, he alone was in charge, and they had to give everything they had.

Without lingering any longer, Le Xiaotian briefed Adjutant Bai Lan on the evening’s performance. Then he took Chen Fang and Chen Zhuo to the car and drove straight to the Blue Moon Grand Hotel.

Before the battle, he still had to help Chen Zhuo resolve the matter concerning Qiu Mengyue. It was only right to see things through to the end.

Le Xiaotian let out a bitter laugh as he drove, then accelerated.

At that moment, Chen Fang’s expression changed slightly. The time the two of them had left together was growing shorter and shorter.

The Star Suppression Tower incident was coming to an end.