Mingchao: The Survival Journey of a Comedian

Chapter 40: A brutal beating right from the start.

"Mo Wunian! Don't worry about me anymore..."

"Hurry...get this message to the rear..."

"Now you're the only one still capable of moving..."

The surroundings were incredibly noisy; he could only hear countless wails and cries of agony. He felt utterly weak, unable to muster any strength at all.

Who was calling him? Was it even him? Everything around him was now completely unfamiliar.

Struggling to his feet, he still gripped his sword tightly. The ground beneath his feet felt loose, and the wind howled across his face, cutting like knives—he was clearly no longer in the same spot.

Where did he come from?

Before I could even think clearly, I felt a murderous intent spreading in front of me. I snapped back to reality, opened my eyes, and saw an attack hurtling towards me. In a panic, I tried to raise my sword to block the blow, only to find that my hands were covered in wounds.

Blood flowed down his face, and he could almost feel his whole body going numb—a sign of excessive blood loss.

"grass?!"

With no other option, he could only lunge to the side with all his might, kicking up dust that just barely grazed his hair—if he had been any slower, he probably would have been eliminated right at the start.

"what's the situation……"

Struggling to his feet, he could feel that his body was much weaker, and he couldn't even try to control the frequency of his body anymore. He had no way to transform into a phantom form to dodge these attacks.

He wanted to say something more, but blood was already flowing from the corner of his mouth, which startled him so much that he quickly stopped himself.

It seems I'm badly injured.

He hastily used his medical skills to perform a forced heal on himself, barely pulling himself back from the brink of death. Now he could finally look at the monster before him with a newfound sense of déjà vu.

"...How many of these are there...?"

"There must be dozens..."

The opening lightning strike brought everything into sharp focus. Then he saw countless monsters surging towards him, a vast and overwhelming force covering the entire land: he was shocked and panicked. Even though he had seen such a sight before, it still sent a shiver down his spine.

"Mo Wunian!!! Retreat!"

"You don't want to deal with all this by yourself, do you...?"

Turning around abruptly, a storm raged in his heart, and his eyes widened in shock—behind him lay a field of corpses, blood flowing like a winding river. The pungent, acrid stench of blood instantly filled his entire sensory world.

And the only living person he could see and sense right now... was the man who had roared at him to retreat.

However, the other party was clearly also seriously injured, with his chest almost pierced through. It was unclear how he managed to roar at him to leave.

He wants to run away too! But do you think he can escape in the current situation?!

"Ding~ Host has successfully transmigrated~"

"Detected that the host's physical life is in grave danger—items have been automatically transferred to the host—"

"The Key to Time, the Sword of Destruction"

"The current mission—survival"

Reward: Longevity Pill (can extend lifespan)

Bonus Mission: Repel this attack.

"Reward: Forcefully triggers the Bug Soul effect"

Good grief, this mission has turned into a matter of keeping me alive?

But the key point is that when he looked around, he saw monsters everywhere, and the omnipresent threat made his heart tighten—at this moment, there was nowhere to escape!

There's only one way to survive—kill the monsters before they kill you.

Offense is the best defense!

"Mo Wunian...cough cough cough..."

"Walk……"

Bei Wang was about to vomit blood at this moment—although he had already vomited a lot of blood from the battle, he panicked when he saw his stupid teammate standing still waiting for the afterimage to attack!

Although I usually know that there isn't much of a spark in the other person's eyes, and that they even seem a bit slow-witted, is this how they are when their life is at stake?

It's over, completely over. Reinforcements from the rear won't arrive for quite some time. The defensive line they've built with their own flesh and blood is likely to collapse soon.

Thinking of this, Bei Wang closed his eyes in despair, his mind already set on death: as a soldier returning at night, he had long since disregarded life and death.

But if this line of defense fails, how many more comrades will perish because of this mistake?

"...Brother, I know you're going to die, but don't die yet..."

"Just survive first!"

Bei Wang watched helplessly as the man suddenly summoned a sword, which he used to block attacks as he charged towards him. The moment that hand touched him, the unstoppable bleeding from his chest instantly stopped, and his flesh began to heal.

Although he wasn't completely cured, it was enough to save his life.

"???"

"Mo Wunian..."

He looked up, and this time he saw a look in the other person's eyes that he had never seen before—a light shone in the boy's eyes, clear and bright. This was a stark contrast to the lifeless look he was used to seeing.

Is this still his comrade-in-arms?

"Look at this situation, do you think you can escape?"

"We have no choice but to fight! Take care of yourself, don't die!"

Bei Wang's mind went blank for a second, and he just watched helplessly as the boy charged forward with his sword... without hesitation, without a moment's doubt.

"Are you insane, Mo Wunian?!"

"You're not even a Resonator..."

As the wind howled past, the sound gradually dissipated into the air. The outstretched hand hung helplessly in the air, as if trying to grasp something but unable to find a way to do so.

He could only watch as a sixteen-year-old boy, burdened with countless secrets, quietly embarked on a path of no return…

"wrong……"

"wrong!"

Bei Wang's pupils dilated sharply as he stared in disbelief at the scene before him: the figure was as lithe as a swallow, the longsword in his hand tracing sharp, deadly arcs. Each flick of the sword foreshadowed the imminent fall of another monster. The sword's power was so intense that it seemed to tear even space itself apart.

Looking north, he even felt as if he saw that person walking on air.

He blinked, wondering if it was all just a hallucination before his death. However, the deafening aftershocks of the battle ahead relentlessly assaulted his wounds, the excruciating pain a constant reminder that it was all real.

"..."

"How can it be……"

He had known the other person for several months, and while he admitted the other person did indeed have unique insights into swordsmanship, the other person seemed to have lost a part of their soul, always appearing dull and gullible, incredibly easy to fool, and always lacking that certain spark.

After all, the first time I met that person, I was running too fast and accidentally bumped into them, knocking them into the water.

After finally managing to pull the other person out of the water, they didn't even show any reaction, remaining as calm as still water, and started walking back with their wet clothes on.

If he hadn't forcefully pulled and dragged her, the other person probably would have really gone to training in that outfit.

But judging from the current situation and the look in the other person's eyes, he couldn't help but begin to doubt whether that person was still the same person.

Not to mention that the other person's injuries weren't much better than his own before this.

As for how Mo Wunian did it, he wielded a sharp blade amidst the monster horde, swiftly severing one head the instant it was drawn, even though another attack was imminent. At that moment, the key at his waist emitted a frequency...

Time stood still for a moment

He was stunned for a moment when it was first triggered, and although he reacted quickly, he still missed a great opportunity.

He thought it would only be a one-time chance, but unexpectedly, it would trigger every time his life was in danger.

Although it only lasted a few seconds, it was enough for him to handle most situations.

He was even able to draw upon this power during battles later on, though the frequency of the key weakened with each movement.

It seems to be related to the frequency of storage.

"Cool Bro! I love you!!!"

"I want to be your best brother for life!"

Even though his combat skills were almost flawless, he was still powerless against such a large-scale encirclement. His mind was already tormented by pain.

Achieving a more rational approach to warfare is practically unrealistic.

Those few seconds of thinking time were enough for him to handle many more things.

Chao Ge! If he could go back, I'd definitely have to give him a good kowtow!

However, he was ultimately too naive, never truly grasping the cruelty of the battlefield and the ruthlessness of war. Having finally managed a brief respite, he was met with the sight of hordes of monsters surging forth again from the boundless yellow sand. His longsword, barely lowered, was immediately raised high again, slashing repeatedly, leaving behind a trail of wounds. In this relentless battle, his still immature mind experienced for the first time the profound onslaught of despair.

"Is there no support...?"

"Are you kidding me...? How many waves is this now...?"

The key in his hand was almost exhausted, darkness was gradually encroaching on the edges of his vision, a heavy taste of blood filled his mouth, and even swinging his sword seemed incredibly difficult.

At this moment, her already frail body seemed to have lost its last protection, all its vulnerability laid bare beneath this cruel world.

Is he really going to die here? He's only been here a short time...

"Mo Wunian... Mo Wunian..."

The attack beside him was quietly deflected by a bullet. The crisp gunshot rang out like thunder in his ears, jolting his muddled thoughts.

Even so, although his initial attack was deflected, he couldn't escape the subsequent blow—this time, he was slammed to the ground.

Bei Wang knew his opponent had reached their limit, but he didn't lower his gun. Instead, he once again raised it high to face the monsters.

"Let that kid fight alone for so long... He's several years younger than me..."

Even if I'm destined to die... I can't just leave like this!

Although he didn't know how the other party had forcibly saved him from the brink of death, and even restored his ability to move...

But he was also one of the soldiers returning home at night!

The closest afterimage rushed towards him. He raised his gun, aimed it at the opponent's weak point, and allowed the attack to pierce his chest.

Just as Bei Wang thought he was about to witness a bloodbath, a long sword came flying through the air, forcefully deflecting the attack to the other side and only injuring his leg—perfectly blocking a fatal blow for him.

"...cough cough cough..."

He stared as the man rose again from the pile of corpses, his body stained with crimson blood—and at that moment, a deafening shout came from behind him, echoing through the sky.

In the boy's eyes, there was a light so dazzling it was beyond anything he had ever seen.

Support has arrived!

Gunfire raged like a torrential downpour, the monsters falling one by one in the hail of bullets. Amidst the swirling dust, everything appeared blurred and indistinct. Yet, within the chaotic smoke and dust, a familiar silhouette gradually emerged—the distinctive uniform of the Nightfall Army, striking and impossible to ignore.

Perhaps he had already given up hope, for when the miracle occurred, he still couldn't believe it.

But when the banners of the returning night army fluttered in the air, he truly realized that they had held the line.

They really did it! They really did it!

"...Mo Wunian! Don't fall asleep!"

"Mo Wunian...!"

In that instant, Bei Wang witnessed a relieved smile appear on the man's face, then his body slowly slumped, as if returning to its roots, falling onto this desolate land, merging with the surrounding coldness, losing consciousness, leaving only silence.

"Mo Wunian!!!"

----------

When he regained some consciousness, the air was filled with the heavy smell of disinfectant and a faint medicinal fragrance. In his hazy state, the line between life and death became blurred and distant in his mind.

As time slowly passed, waves of pain gradually surged from all parts of his body, reminding him of the reality of being alive. He tried to twist his body, but found himself utterly unable to move an inch.

"Ding~ Congratulations, host, for completing the basic and extra tasks!"

"Rewards have been issued"

"The Soul of Bugs effect has been triggered—a brief pause in space (an effect triggered by resonance with the Key of Time; with mastery of the frequency, space can be forcibly paused)."

A familiar mechanical voice echoed in his mind, but he couldn't respond immediately. It was only after what seemed like an eternity that he struggled to call out to it in his mind.

"...What's the situation now...?"

"Opening lightning strike..."

"This is my body, so you can use it..."

I couldn't open my eyes at all. I vaguely asked the other person a few questions, and then I just wanted to sleep again.

"Host...this really isn't my fault..."

"The frequency lock came too late... I just broke free of that idiot's control and I could already sense him trying to manipulate the frequencies around us..."

"After being forced to lock down that timeline, I had no choice but to extract the frequency of your consciousness and force you into this place..."

Then the system stopped receiving a response; the person had fallen asleep again due to health reasons.

"..."

"Never mind, the timing of the teleportation was bad to begin with."

"Not to mention that the physical body they contacted over there was only sixteen..."

"It's a miracle that he survived such a horrific battle..."

The system ultimately said nothing; the blue panel continued to be tapped and typed, and upon closer inspection, it was clear that it was fabricating some kind of backstory.

"The host definitely doesn't want to occupy someone else's body... so let me do it..."

"Why is this going so smoothly...? Isn't it quite difficult to forcibly add a stranger into the world...?"

"Why worry about all that... let's compress the memories as much as possible before transmitting them to the other person..."

In contrast to their silence, in the next ward, a small boy with blue hair was talking to a man lying on a hospital bed...