BXBX NOVEL Chapter 972 Reunion With The Fox Spirits
"Grah!" The zombie screamed as Lee Seng began to scan his surroundings again. The car beeped behind him and a hand waved him over.
"You're good!" Evan shouted. "There isn't anything showing up!" Lee Seng headed for the car, burning the gunk off his body before he entered. He lowered himself into the back seat with Calis and shut the door. Ritsuka continued the drive. They had been going for close to four hours now with a couple stops and detours along the way.
Their destination was only thirty more minutes away. Lee Seng settled into his seat, closing his eyes. The Soul world was streaked with lines of monochrome as he stepped out of the tree portal. He could feel the wind dancing as he turned and watched the forest below.
It wasn't long until he felt it. The burning sensation in his stomach. He leaned over and looked downwards at it. The Soul world was filtering its energy into it. Lee Seng took a couple steps back and jumped. He slowed to a stop, landing without issue as the ground heated.
The heated energy swirled, changing the area around him. Rocks started to bubble as lava swirled from the rock wall. The ground and trees around were lit on fire, ever-burning but never dying. Lee Seng tilted his head and lifted his hand up to it. He pressed his hand onto it and listened as the energy whooshed.
[/Keng's Egg / 87% finished.]
"Hm, I thought it would take longer." Lee Seng whispered. He removed his hand. "I guess I'll come back to check another time." He turned and aimlessly walked for a while. He quietly hummed, fading away from his Soul world.
"Lee." Calis shook the Fox Spirit. Lee Seng stirred, opening his eyes and looking around. The car was idle and there were people in front of them. They were armed.
"What's wrong?" Lee Seng asked, poking his head up to the front seat where Ritsuka and Evan were. There were six armed guards standing in the street in front of a small town.
"Just our luck." Evan whispered. "The mercs got here before us." A guard sauntered over to the driver's window and knocked on it. Ritsuka pushed the window down just enough.
"Who are you?" The guard asked. Lee Seng looked at the map. They were very close to the address. He sat back down, drawing attention to himself. "What's your business here?"
"We're here to meet someone." Ritsuka answered. He looked at the navigation. "It says the place is a minute away." The guard naturally poked their head in to see. They caught a whiff of Lee Seng's energy and turned to look right.
"You. Get out." The guard pointed at Lee Seng. They stepped away, leaving the group in a state of confusion.
"I thought he was going to look at the nav.' Evan whispered.
"Well, who knows what he wants now." Calis shrugged. Lee Seng clicked the seatbelt off himself and tried to open the door.
"Are you really gonna go there?" Ritsuka whispered to Lee Seng.
"Anything to get us to that place." Lee Seng motioned. He unlocked the door manually and stepped out of the car. He shut the door behind him and moved over to the guard. The other guards were already antsy with his presence.
"Over here." The guard motioned with their head. Lee Seng came to stand in front of them and gave him a confused look. The guard studied Lee Seng for a moment. They lifted their hand and pointed at Lee Seng's ears and spoke in Fox tongue. "You should do better to conceal yourself. Do you want to give us away?"
The mirage fell for a moment, revealing the true nature of the guard. It was one of the Fox Spirits. Lee Seng smiled as they looked behind them and then to Lee Seng.
"Who are you and why are you with Biohumans?" The Fox Spirit asked Lee Seng.
"Lee Seng Chang. Those are my friends… and one of them isn't Biohuman." Lee Seng answered back in Fox tongue. The Fox Spirit nodded and looked at one of the guards and motioned for them to do something. The other guard turned around and walked into the town, leaving the group.
"Lee Seng Chang… Why does that name sound familiar?"
"Are you with Commander Chimera's group? I heard General Halys is here. He's looking for me."
"You know the Commander and the General?" The Fox Spirit guard asked, confused.
'They don't know who I am.' Lee Seng thought. The Fox Spirit stepped forward as if they were trying to scare Lee Seng. Lee Seng didn't twitch, causing an awkward moment between them. The guard's lips were close to Lee Seng's and the two stared at each other for a bit. If one of them talked, they increased their chances of making it even more awkward. The guard pulled away and scratched their cheek, trying to hide how flustered they were.
"Rolan, stand down!" The second guard shouted, jogging back over. They pulled their ally away, giving Lee Seng more space before bowing at Lee Seng. "I'm sorry, sir! We didn't know who was coming! We were told Chrono-sister was coming!"
"She didn't tell you." Lee Seng nodded. "Well, she did thrust this upon me."
"All of you pay close attention to Lee Seng-brother! He and the others can go through." The second guard announced it to everyone. "I'm so sorry, Lee Seng-brother!"
"It's alright." Lee Seng smiled. He walked over and patted the nervous guard and looked at the one named 'Rolan.' "You guys must be extremely new… hm?"
"Newest recruits from two years ago, sir." Rolan informed Lee Seng.
"Ah, you're with them!" Lee seng snapped his fingers. "Felicity and Shang, I believe? Are you guys the batch of Biohuman-Fox Spirits?" The other Fox Spirits all looked at each other, shocked their seniors would know such a thing.
"How do you know Felicity and Shang?" The second guard asked.
"Felicity almost put a bullet through my head." Lee Seng answered. "And Shang's a big fan of me and my brother."
"Your brother…?" Rolan asked.
"What's taking so long? Why aren't you letting them in yet?" A familiar voice asked loudly. The crunch from dirt to the rough road was enough for Lee Seng to guess who was coming. The guards all panicked and turned, saluting as an eight-tailed Valen appeared. "Are you all slacking off or something?"
"N-no, Senior Valen…!" The guards stuttered in unison. Valen sighed and brushed his bangs out of his face. The dexterous Fox shook his head and looked past the rookies to Lee Seng. His face lit up as he moved straight to Lee Seng, linking his arm around Lee Seng's head.
"You're here! I thought Chrono was going to show up and was yelling at the rookies. It's just you!" Valen cheerfully laughed. "How are you? W-wait, before that…" He stepped away and circled Lee Seng. "Where's all your tails?!? What happened?"
"Long story." Lee Seng replied to the quick fox. Valen turned and looked at the car, noticing Ritsuka, Evan and Calis.
"Oh, you came with friends." Valen looked at Lee Seng. He turned and motioned for Ritsuka to go inside. "Drive in and park at the house to the left over there!" He looked at the rookies. "Clear the way and get back to work!"
"Y-yes, sir!" The guards saluted and scrambled, somewhat helping Ritsuka get in. Valen turned and smiled at Lee Seng, giving him a hug before speaking again.
"It's good to see you, nonetheless! Where's Keng? Is he in there, too?" Valen looked at the car moving.
"Long story, Valen." Lee Seng replied, again. Valen turned and nodded.
"Why don't we go inside? The General's waiting. Come." Valen motioned and led Lee Seng into the town. "Keep your eyes peeled, everyone. Wouldn't want something coming in that we shouldn't have comin' in."
"Yes, sir!" The guards shouted. Valen turned and put a finger to his lips.
"Not so loud, rookies. You don't want to attract the enemy, right?"
The guards all slowly nodded and silently saluted before vanishing.
"Ah, rookies." Valen shook his head. "I remember those days. My superiors were harsh with me, too. It's fun to be in those shoes now. C'mon, gotta get in quick before someone notices us."
Their base of operations was a pillaged library. Wooden boards from bookshelves were torn apart and put onto the broken glass. There were many people Lee Seng and the others didn't know. They all looked at Lee Seng and his friends with curiosity before Valen naturally told them to 'mind their own business.' They made their way into the heart of the library where more recognizable Fox Spirits were.
"Have you gotten a response from Cori, yet? What's her status in the city?" General Halys asked the party of four at the table.
"Nothing." Ysa shook her head. She brushed her hair over her hair and looked over to Valen.
"I'm back, sir." Valen announced his return. "With many guests!" He motioned at Lee Seng and the others.
"Lee Seng…" Ysa whispered.
"What happened to your tails?!?" Fennec asked.