The Supernatural Daily Life of a Magazine

Chapter 23 Fierce Battle

The two dashed towards the bridge like arrows released from a bow. Li Shancheng felt the wind whistling past his ears; Su Yan was much faster than him, but they always maintained a distance where they could look out for each other. In fifteen seconds, they ran across fifty meters of the bridge and reached the third pier.

On the north-facing side of the bridge pier, as indicated by the inherited memory, there was a slightly different stone brick. Li Shancheng could feel a faint energy pulse when he touched it. He took out the "manifestation dust" specially made by Bishop Qin and gently sprinkled it on the surface of the stone brick.

Dust clung to the stone bricks, emitting a soft fluorescent glow, revealing hidden engravings—not words, but a set of constellation patterns. Li Shancheng quickly took a picture with his camera, while Su Yan kept watch on their surroundings.

"Someone's coming!" Su Yan suddenly warned.

On the south side of the bridge, two guards changed their patrol route and walked straight towards them. At the same time, an energy source on the riverbank below the bridge began to move upwards.

"We've been discovered?" Li Shancheng asked.

"Not necessarily, the route might change randomly," Su Yan said. "But we must leave immediately. Take the north side, go down the bridge, and enter the alley."

As soon as they moved, the energy source under the bridge suddenly accelerated. Instead of walking onto the bridge, it leaped directly from the river—a figure soared into the air, landed on the bridge railing, and blocked the path to the north.

The moonlight illuminated the newcomer: a man in his forties, dressed in a black bodysuit, with a stern face, holding a short knife in his hand, the blade gleaming with an eerie blue light under the moonlight.

"Good evening, Guardians." The man's voice was eerily calm. "President Lin guessed correctly; you really did come."

Su Yan shielded Li Shancheng behind him: "People from Hanshan Technology?"

"Zhao Feng, captain of the Seventh Action Team," the man announced. "I've been waiting here for a long time on General Lin's orders. Hand over what you just photographed, and you'll suffer less."

"Do you think that's possible?" Su Yan sneered, his hands already forming hand seals.

"That's a pity." Zhao Feng waved his short sword, and four other guards surrounded him from different directions, forming an encirclement.

Li Shancheng quickly assessed the situation: five against two, the opponent was clearly prepared. Moreover, Zhao Feng's energy level was very high, far exceeding that of the Shadow Nightmare they had encountered in the garage.

"Shancheng, I'll hold them off. You find a chance to break through," Su Yan said in a low voice. "Bringing the photos back is more important than anything else."

"No, let's go together." Li Shancheng shook his head.

"Stop arguing, young man," Zhao Feng said. "None of you are leaving."

He launched the first attack, his short sword drawing a blue arc as it aimed directly at Su Yan. Su Yan, instead of retreating, advanced, flames erupting from his hands as he forcefully gripped the blade. The flames collided with the blue light, bursting forth in a blinding flash.

The other four guards also acted simultaneously, two rushing towards Li Shancheng and two assisting Zhao Feng in besieging Su Yan.

Li Shancheng activated the Kan Water Amulet, and a water shield unfolded in front of him, blocking the first wave of attacks. However, he could feel the amulet's energy rapidly depleting, lasting only a few more seconds at most. He took out the Fire Feather, but didn't ignite it—calling for help now would only drag Xu Qingqing into danger as well.

We have to find a way ourselves.

He recalled the basic combat techniques passed down from the Book of Light, and that knowledge surged within him instinctively. He dodged a straight punch by sidestepping, simultaneously drawing a simple tripping rune under his feet. A faint energy fluctuation suddenly appeared beneath the attacker's feet, causing him to lose his balance and fall forward. Li Shancheng followed up with an energy-enhanced hand chop, striking the back of the opponent's neck, and the man groaned as he collapsed to the ground.

Seeing this, the second guard became even more cautious. Instead of attacking rashly, he took out a metal sphere and threw it over. The sphere unfolded in mid-air, transforming into an electrified energy net.

Li Shancheng had no time to dodge, but unconsciously he reached out and drew a disintegration rune in the air—the same technique he had used against Shadow Nightmare in the garage, but this time he was more skilled at it. The rune imprinted on the net, and the energy structure began to collapse, the net dissipating into specks of light before it could touch him.

In the moment of the guard's astonishment, Li Shancheng had already rushed in front of him, delivering a precise energy blast to his chest. The guard fell to the ground, temporarily incapacitated.

On the other side, Su Yan was engaged in fierce combat with Zhao Feng and two others. Her fire magic was powerful, but Zhao Feng's short sword seemed to absorb energy, dimming the flames with each contact. To make matters worse, Zhao Feng's other two henchmen constantly interfered from the side, preventing Su Yan from fully engaging in combat.

"Sister Su, let me help you!" Li Shancheng rushed over.

"Don't come any closer!" Su Yan shouted, but it was too late.

Zhao Feng suddenly changed his target, turning his short sword towards Li Shancheng. The strike was incredibly fast, leaving Li Shancheng no time to react. Just as the blade was about to touch his skin, the work badge on his chest automatically activated, forming a thin silver shield.

The dagger struck the silver shield with a piercing scraping sound. The shield shattered, but it bought Li Shancheng a fraction of a second. He instinctively leaned back, the blade grazing his nose, sending a chilling sting through him.

"An interesting talisman." Zhao Feng sheathed his short sword. "But how many times can it block?"

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Su Yan launched a fierce attack, the flames transforming into a firebird that swooped down on Zhao Feng. Zhao Feng had no choice but to defend, his short sword flashing with blue light as he shattered the firebird. But the broken flames did not dissipate; instead, they transformed into countless tiny sparks, clinging to Zhao Feng and his two subordinates, and began to burn.

"Fire adhesion, not bad technique." Zhao Feng said expressionlessly, a layer of water film appearing on his body, extinguishing the flames. But his two subordinates were not so lucky; they screamed and rolled on the ground, trying to put out the flames.

"Let's go!" Su Yan seized the opportunity and pulled Li Shancheng towards the north side of the bridge.

Zhao Feng wanted to give chase, but the water film on his body suddenly boiled—Su Yan's flames were not ordinary fire, but rather a special energy infused with the energy of the detached array eye, enabling them to burn continuously.

In those few seconds of delay, Li Shancheng and Su Yan had already leaped over the bridge railing and jumped into the river. Before entering the water, Su Yan threw a small ball, which exploded on the surface, creating a thick mist that concealed their presence.

The two swam downstream for about a hundred meters before reaching the shore and hiding in the bushes along the riverbank. Li Shancheng was breathing heavily; the cold river water and the fierce battle he had just fought made him shiver.

"Are you alright?" Su Yan checked his condition.

"N-nothing...it's nothing." Li Shancheng touched his nose, a trace of blood on his fingertip—the wound from where the blade had grazed him. "The photo is still here."

He took the camera out of the waterproof bag; the screen was intact and the photos were clear.

"That's good." Su Yan breathed a sigh of relief, then his expression turned serious. "But our whereabouts have been completely exposed. Hanshan Technology knows we're investigating Shuanglong Bridge, and they'll definitely be strengthening their defenses."

"At least we got a lead," Li Shancheng said.

"Yes, but the price could be high." Su Yan looked towards the bridge. "Zhao Feng is one of Hanshan Technology's top combatants. The fact that he's personally guarding this place shows how important the Shuanglong Bridge is to them. If we come back next time, we might be facing an inescapable trap."

Xu Qingqing's anxious voice came through the earpiece: "How are you guys? I can hear the sounds of fighting, but I can't pinpoint your exact location!"

"Safe, on our way back," Su Yan replied. "Meet me at the parking lot, watch out for tails."

They moved carefully along the riverbank, changing their route several times, and only returned to the parking lot after confirming they were not being followed. Xu Qingqing was already waiting there, and only felt relieved when she saw them return safely.

On the way back to Qingyun Lane, the three remained silent. Although the battle was brief, it exposed many problems: Hanshan Technology was well-prepared, their combat strength exceeded expectations, and they had a certain understanding of the Guardians' behavior patterns.

"That warning... 'Beware of internal traitors'..." Li Shancheng suddenly said, "Zhao Feng knows we are the Guardians, knows we will come to Shuanglong Bridge, and even the timing is very precise."

"You suspect someone leaked our plans?" Xu Qingqing asked.

"Only the four of us guardians and Liu Wei knew about the meeting," Su Yan analyzed. "Old Jiang, Editor-in-Chief Qin, you, me, and Liu Wei. If it was one of us..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but her meaning was clear.

"It's not necessarily because we leaked it directly," Li Shancheng said. "It could be that EarthMai Communications was being monitored, or... HanShan Technology has other intelligence sources."

Regardless, trust has been breached. And when facing a powerful enemy, internal suspicion may be the most lethal weapon.

It was 3 a.m. when they returned to Qingyun Lane. Bishop Qin and Liu Wei were still waiting, with the newly analyzed data laid out on the table.

"Are you injured?" Bishop Qin asked, noticing the wound on Li Shancheng's nose.

"It's a minor injury," Li Shancheng said after treating it briefly. "But we were ambushed at Shuanglong Bridge; the enemy was well-prepared."

He recounted the entire incident and showed the photographs of the engravings he had taken. Bishop Qin studied the photographs carefully, his expression growing increasingly grave.

"This is not an ordinary star chart," he said. "It is part of a 'star-guiding array,' used to guide starlight under specific astronomical conditions to activate hidden portals. But a complete array should have seven such nodes, distributed in seven locations."

"Seven nodes..." Li Shancheng recalled the legacy of the Book of Light, "corresponding to clues from seven relics?"

"Very likely." Bishop Qin nodded. "Hanshan Technology may have found more than one node, and may even be closer to the truth than we are."

Liu Wei retrieved some information from Chen Ya's notes: "Engineer Chen mentioned that Hanshan Technology's algorithm requires 'array eye energy readings,' 'astronomical data,' and 'geographical coordinates.' If they can monitor multiple array eyes, they might be able to deduce the locations of multiple nodes."

"But they still need bloodline descendants to activate the nodes," Su Yan pointed out. "That's their weakness."

"Not necessarily," Bishop Qin said gravely. "What if one of their goals in 'carrier cultivation' is to create 'artificial bloodlines'? To use the energy of the array's core to modify the human body, giving it characteristics similar to the Guardian's bloodline?"

This possibility sent a chill down everyone's spine. If Cold Mountain Technology could mass-produce "pseudo-bloodlines," then they might have already activated multiple nodes, and might even have found more than one relic.