Chapter 393: On the Brink of Death

As soon as he finished speaking, Rod didn’t give the others a chance to ask questions. In a flash, he dashed off into the distance, not even taking the time to tidy up his disheveled appearance. He pushed his speed to the extreme.
Watching Rod leave, Merk and the others looked grave. The atmosphere became somber—no one knew where Rod was heading this time, but they all understood it must be related to Nightingale.
Could he really make it back in just one night? No one knew. Even Ice City, the closest place, would take three days to travel to and back at normal speeds. Even if Rod could reach Ice City in one night at such an incredible speed, what could he do there? After all, it seemed to be a city supporting the war faction. What could he achieve there? And don’t forget—the Wolf Tribe, an even greater enemy, was also there.
“Sister Nightingale, let’s go back and rest. Brother Rod will be back soon!” Lucy said softly, with a complex expression on her face, as she sighed and looked at Nightingale in her arms.
At this moment, Nightingale’s condition grew weaker. Beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, and her eyes grew even more lifeless, causing concern in those who watched her.
Water Screen City had fallen, and now the task of dealing with the aftermath began. These matters didn’t need to worry anyone—Merk would surely take care of them. The Scythe of Death Squad hadn’t been involved, and the ruined city hall would likely require a lot of effort from Merk. Additionally, the chaos caused by the battle inside the city would also take time to resolve. In short, Water Screen City was now very different from its former prosperous self after this great battle.
To restore its former glory, there wasn’t enough time, and it would be impossible without dedication—at least not in the short term.
Of course, besides dealing with the aftermath, the more important task was to prevent news from spreading immediately—at least not for the next two days.
But could the wrath of heaven, unleashed in the final moments of the battle, be concealed? It was likely already noticed by everyone, which would surely arouse suspicion and investigations. Under such circumstances, keeping things secret would be an extremely difficult task.

Wounded soldiers passing by and corpses being carried past filled Merk with sorrow. These were all members of his family, members of his alliance—living lives mercilessly taken away by death in this cruel war. Compared to the previous two battles, the casualties in the battle at Water Screen City were significantly higher. If it weren’t for Rod dragging those giants along, he really couldn’t imagine what the final casualty count would have been.

Looking into the distance, toward the direction Rod had gone, Merk sighed inwardly, hoping he could indeed find what he needed. If Nightingale encountered trouble now, who knew what might happen to Rod!

Now that Water Screen City had been taken, the enemies ahead were clear: on one side were the pro-war faction members who might return at any time after receiving news, and on the other were the covetous Wolf Clan members! Both sides were powerful forces, and they had to face them with extreme caution—any lapse in attention would bring a cruel end.

“Seal off the entire city! No one in or out for three days!” After much thought, Merk ordered in a deep voice to Dolon and the others around him. The only way to buy time and prevent news from spreading might be to seal the city, just like in Wuyou City. But the problem was Water Screen City was vast—could it really be sealed so easily?

After giving the orders, Merk turned and headed toward a mansion in the rear. That was where their Black Phoenix clan had originally stationed itself in Water Screen City, and now it became their temporary shelter.

……

“Sis, what’s wrong?” A cry of alarm came from one of the rooms inside the mansion—Lucy’s voice! Along with it were the cries of Viski and the others.

Outside the door, the members of the Death Scythe Squad surrounded the room and courtyard tightly, preventing anyone from approaching. Even Merk hadn’t been allowed in just now.

These people all had cold expressions and murderous intent, showing no kindness toward those nearby. If anyone dared to break into this courtyard at this moment, they would face the merciless killing by the Death Scythe Squad members.

The leader glanced at the rooms behind him, and concern appeared on everyone’s face. Their elder sister, their younger sister, Nightingale—she was in that room! Miss Lucy was taking care of her, and for some reason, Viski had also been called in.

Everyone naturally understood the extent of Nightingale’s injuries. Such injuries, if inflicted on them, would likely have sent them out of this world long ago. It was only thanks to the rare treasure provided by Boss Rod and the healing potion of the Black Phoenix clan that she had managed to hold on until now. But no one knew how much longer she could endure! One thing was certain: if they continued to delay here, death was inevitable. The only hope was that Boss Rod would return soon with something to save Nightingale.

At that moment, inside the room, Nightingale’s breathing suddenly became rapid, and her complexion changed strangely—no longer pale, it showed a hint of flushing! Like a red apple, even her eyes turned slightly red. Sweat the size of beans streamed down her cheeks, as if she had just exercised in high heat. This couldn’t help but make people think of a final flicker of life.

Seeing this, Lucy and Visky in the room immediately grew anxious. Nightingale absolutely couldn’t fall ill now; they needed to wait for Rod to return and save her. If anything happened now, wouldn’t it all be in vain?

“Sis, what’s wrong? Don’t scare Lucy!” Seeing this, Lucy, panicked, had reddened eyes and asked anxiously in a slightly crying voice. She stepped forward to Nightingale, gently pressed her hand against Nightingale’s, and carefully controlled the magical energy within herself to flow into Nightingale’s body. She hoped to use these magical elements to temporarily stabilize Nightingale’s condition and prevent it from worsening.

Visky, on the other hand, chose to remain silent. Standing solemnly beside the two, he kept watch around them, ensuring no unexpected incidents occurred at this critical moment.

After a long, long time, results finally appeared. Nightingale’s complexion returned to normal—no longer flushed or pale. Her breathing became regular, and the sweat gradually subsided. Everything seemed to be improving.

At this point, Lucy showed signs of exhaustion, her nose covered in sweat. Since Nightingale and she had different energy attributes, Lucy had to convert her energy before transferring it into Nightingale’s body to avoid harming her. It required extreme gentleness; otherwise, it might injure Nightingale.

This series of actions seemed simple, but combined, it was a massive task. If Lucy hadn’t already reached the middle stage of the Yin Yellow realm, she would definitely not have been able to endure such a task.

After finally taking a deep breath, Lucy released her grip and sat weakly by the bed, staring anxiously at Nightingale.
“Sis, are you feeling better?” Seeing Nightingale’s eyes slightly closed, her heart tightened again as she asked anxiously.
“Cough, cough, cough…” Finally, after a moment, Nightingale’s weak coughing could be heard. Her long eyelashes trembled slightly before she opened her eyes. “I’m sorry for worrying you!” she said, looking at them with a sense of guilt.
Just earlier, she had fallen into an indescribable state. For some reason, a powerful energy had emerged within her, causing her body to plunge into extreme cold. Since Rod was fighting at that time, she could only endure it, resulting in her face turning pale and her body covered in cold sweat.
But after returning to this mansion, the cold in her body gradually disappeared, replaced by an intense heat, as if she were in a furnace, suffering from relentless scorching—unbearable! It felt as though her entire body might burn up.
Fortunately, at the critical moment, Lucy helped her, temporarily calming down that energy within her.
Nightingale didn’t know where that energy came from; perhaps it was related to the two substances she had taken earlier. After all this ordeal, she was utterly exhausted and really wanted to close her eyes and rest.
But she knew she couldn’t. She couldn’t fall asleep now; if she did, she might never get through it. There were still things she hadn’t conveyed, and she had to hold on. She had to persevere until Rod returned so she could see him one last time.
“I’m glad you’re fine, sis!” Lucy said reluctantly, looking at Nightingale’s weak state.
“Cough, cough, cough… Lucy, if I can’t hold on this time, you must take good care of Rod. Don’t let him go through such things again. He deserves to rest properly!” Looking at the large hole in the distance, Nightingale spoke softly to Lucy, filled with concern.
“He’s suffered so much in his life. Every time, it’s been a battle with death. People always say our profession as assassins is the most dangerous, but they never think of themselves. They never consider their own well-being, acting like children who never grow up. They never care about themselves. Now that things are almost settled, you must make sure he leaves this place, away from these days of conflict. Such a life isn’t suitable for him!” For some reason, Nightingale felt she had too much to say and had to make sure it was all expressed clearly, so she began to speak slowly.

A faint smile appeared at the corners of her lips; that pitiful beauty made one feel heartache. Her weak body made her feel as if she had reached a critical point.
“It won’t happen, sister. You definitely won’t be okay. My brother is already going to find something to save you. Hold on a little longer—you’ll recover soon!” Tears streamed down as Lucy comforted her in a sobbing voice. She truly felt a sharp pain in her heart.