Chapter 221 Physical Contact

Chapter 221: Chapter 221 Physical Contact

The addition of the second automatic turret finally gave the western side the breathing room it desperately needed, and as the two weapons continuously fired into the monsters coming down from the ridge, the soldiers who had been retreating only minutes earlier were able to regroup behind the second defensive line. Enzo immediately ordered them to conserve their ammunition and concentrate on anything that escaped the turrets, while Dylan moved the Lennox soldiers towards the weakest section of the barricade, covering the gaps until the reinforcements Rowan sent from the inner wall began arriving.

Ling Xuan remained outside the barricade with her sword in her hand, watching the situation change while occasionally dealing with the monsters that managed to get too close. She didn’t rush forward or waste her strength chasing the creatures retreating towards the ridge; instead, she remained close enough to intervene whenever the defensive line was threatened, and after watching several monsters lose their heads before they could even reach her, the soldiers around her had learned to give her enough room to move.

However, despite the calmness on her face, the emotions coming from Laurel had not settled since Stefan told them Tina was missing.

Laurel had tried to remain quiet while Ling Xuan fought, knowing that distracting her in the middle of the battlefield would help no one, but every passing minute made it harder to control the thoughts running through her mind. Tina had followed them because she wanted to help, and when the cave collapsed Laurel had been so occupied with Chris and Alexander that she hadn’t even known what was happening outside. By the time they returned, the child she had left behind with the others had already disappeared.

’What if she was hurt somewhere and couldn’t move? What if the monsters had followed her? What if...’

Ling Xuan’s sword cut through the neck of another beast before Laurel could finish the thought, and as its body crashed heavily against the ground, she wiped the black blood from the blade with a sharp movement. ’Don’t think about things that haven’t happened.’

Laurel knew she was right, but knowing didn’t make the fear disappear. ’I’m trying.’

Ling Xuan said nothing more because she could feel that Laurel truly was trying, and because beneath the fear pouring through their connection was another feeling she was less willing to examine too closely. She had given Tina the dagger that once belonged to her, had personally taught the girl how to hold it and where to strike when someone stronger tried to overpower her, and although she had always told herself that she was merely preparing a useful child for the world they now lived in, the thought of finding that same child dead somewhere in the ruins left an uncomfortable heaviness in her chest.

"Commander." Enzo’s voice pulled her attention back to the battlefield, and when Ling Xuan turned, she found him standing several steps away with the marks from his restraints still visible around his wrists. He looked exhausted, his clothes covered in dirt and blood after fighting on the western side for so long, but the soldiers gathering behind him were already responding to his commands as naturally as they had before Margaret accused him of poisoning Grandpa Wayne.

"We can hold the second line now," Enzo told her, glancing towards the ridge where only scattered monsters remained. "Rowan has sent more men back, and Dylan’s people are covering the damaged section until we can reinforce it."

Ling Xuan studied the battlefield before returning her sword to its sheath. There were still too many dead bodies on the ground and far too much damage for her to consider the situation resolved, but the immediate danger of the western side collapsing had passed, and Enzo, Dylan and Rowan were more than capable of handling what remained without her standing over them.

"Don’t chase anything beyond the ridge," she instructed, her gaze settling on Enzo long enough for him to understand that she wasn’t making a suggestion. "Hold the line."

Enzo nodded. "Understood."

The moment Ling Xuan turned away, Laurel felt some of the pressure inside her chest ease because she knew what the movement meant; they had done what they could here, and now they could finally go after Tina.

Alexander approached before Ling Xuan reached Stefan, having just returned from examining the damaged western defenses with several engineers. His attention moved briefly towards the automatic turrets, and Ling Xuan could almost see the questions forming in his mind, but whatever he intended to ask disappeared when he noticed Stefan waiting for her.

"Where are you going?" Alexander asked, his brows drawing together.

"Tina is missing."

For several seconds Alexander simply stared at her, and the change in his expression was so immediate that even Laurel felt something twist inside her chest. Whatever problems existed between them, Tina was still his niece, and the girl had been one of the few members of the Wayne family who had stood up for her, even against her own family.

"What do you mean she’s missing?" His eyes shifted towards Stefan. "Wasn’t she with you?"

Stefan’s face tightened at the question because there was nothing Alexander could accuse him of that he had not already accused himself of since returning without Tina and Jack. He had replayed the attack too many times in his head, wondering whether he should have noticed sooner that she was gone, whether he should have searched longer before returning, and whether allowing Margaret’s people to put that suppression collar around his neck while Tina remained outside had only proved how weak he was.

"We were separated when the monsters attacked," he answered, forcing the words through his tightened throat.

Alexander took a step towards him, but Ling Xuan moved into his path before his fear could become another unnecessary confrontation. "Enough."

Alexander stopped, although the anger in his eyes remained. His jaws clenched so tightly that the gritting of his teeth was heard.

"You stay here," Ling Xuan continued. "The western defenses need to be repaired before another attack comes."

"Laurel, Tina is my niece. You can’t expect me to stay here while she’s somewhere outside." Alexander said through a tight throat.

Ling Xuan met his gaze without changing her expression. "And if another horde comes through that broken wall while everyone runs after her, how many nieces, nephews, wives and husbands do you think will die?"

Alexander’s mouth opened, but no words came out. His eyes moved towards the ruined barricade, where soldiers were still carrying the injured away while others dragged monster corpses from the firing line, and although every part of him clearly wanted to follow, he eventually clenched his jaw and looked towards the engineers waiting near the damaged defense station.

"I’ll repair it," he muttered.

Ling Xuan had already turned away.

Chris stood beside one of the military vehicles, watching everything without interfering. His face was paler than it had been before the battle and exhaustion was visible around his eyes, but when Ling Xuan’s gaze flickered past him, he merely looked away and allowed her gaze towards Stefan. There was nothing he could say that would find Tina faster, and Ling Xuan had no interest in hearing unnecessary reassurance when neither of them knew what they would find.

Stefan came towards her immediately. "I can take us back," he said, already looking towards the road as though he could see through the hundreds of miles separating him from Tina. "I can’t teleport the entire distance in one jump, especially not after moving the wounded, but I remember several places along the route."

Ling Xuan looked at his pale face before nodding once. "Okay, if you say so. But you should be aware that it is very dangerous out there... especially now that the monsters have broken into our world."

"I don’t mind. It was my responsibility to protect the kids, and I failed them. Keep me a chance to redeem myself." Stefan reached for her arm, only to stop when her gaze dropped towards his hand.

"My ability needs physical contact." He said as his throat suddenly became dry from the heavy aura coming from her.

Ling Xuan stared at him for a moment before holding out her arm, and the battlefield disappeared the instant his fingers closed around it.