After the call, I headed for the Coastal Metropolis. I wasn't in too much of a hurry to meet the girls, or rather, anyone, really. My mind still wasn't completely calm, and my head was still filled with thoughts of Song Qian Long's final moments.

After a long walk, I finally arrived at the mall. The front side of it was still completely burnt, so I circled around to the back. The guards were no longer there, as expected. People were also beginning to pile out of the mall, eager to get back to their homes...that is, if they hadn't been destroyed.

I was the only person to attempt to enter the mall at this time - everyone else was trying to leave. I squeezed myself past the crowd, and began heading for the Sleepless Starlight.

As soon as I arrived, I spotted the girls waiting at the entrance. Qing Yue was the first to notice me, and quickly leapt off the bench she had been sitting on, running over to me.

Rushing into my arms, she exclaimed, "Heya, Big Brother Xuan Kai!"

I patted her head awkwardly, but my heart wasn't in it.

Qing Yue noticed this, and looked up at me in puzzlement. "What's wrong, Big Brother Xuan Kai...?"

I shook my head. "Nothing..."

"It's clearly not nothing," Feng Mian cut in. "You sounded pretty off on the phone call earlier, too. Now that we've seen you in person, we're sure. What happened?"

I chuckled lightly, but it wasn't one out of humor. "Guess I need to work on covering my emotions, huh?"

"...Not really," Yu An Yan said. "Holding your emotions in isn't exactly healthy."

"Mm..." Yu An Xue agreed with a nod.

"Y-You can talk to us! Y-Yes!" Lan Xiao Su yelped nervously.

Mei Gui remained silent, but I could tell from her eyes that she already had a good grasp on what happened. She could tell my emotions due to our telepathic connection, after all. However, she still didn't say a thing...she probably wanted me to tell them myself, and if I chose not to, she would naturally not say anything either.

Ever the loyal girl, huh?

"It's fine if you don't want to tell us, but...we're just...um...worried," Feng Mian continued, blushing slightly.

"Uh...whatever. You'll find out soon either way, even if I don't tell you," I said with a sigh, giving in. "But before that...where's Obsidia? Did she talk to you guys?"

"Eh?? How did you know, Big Brother Xuan Kai?" Qing Yue asked, eyes widening in surprise.

"I talked to her earlier...and told her to come say hi to you guys," I explained. "Looks like she actually listened. Interesting."

"Is that a human talking about me behind my back I hear?" a female voice suddenly interrupted from behind me.

I spun around to see Obsidia, leaning against the wall with her arms folded. She wore a slick black jacket and jeans, almost like a gangster. All she was missing was a cigarette. Honestly, the getup was so different from the Obsidia I knew that I almost didn't recognize her, but her unmistakable beauty with her black hair and black eyes was what made me certain on her identity. That, and the fact that she called me 'human'.

"...Hi," I said awkwardly.

She pushed herself off the wall, then narrowed her gaze at me. "You...just came back from a fight?"

I flinched. "...Uh...no?"

Obsidia suddenly leaned in close to me, grabbed my cloak, and began sniffing it with her nose.

"Hey, what are yo-" I began, but it was too late.

She let go of my cloak, and backed away. "This...there's a faint stench of blood on your clothes. It was fairly recent, too. Human...what did you do?"

Damn it...the blood must be from the cut I got from that knight guy...I forgot that dragons had an excellent sense of smell...

"What?!" they all exclaimed in unison, eyes widening in shock. "Xuan Kai, are you okay? Does it hurt? Where is the injury?"

I quickly backed away from the girls suddenly reaching for me, and I nodded. "Yeah, yeah...I'm fine...I just cut myself."

I lied out of instinct...but if I told them about Song Qian Long's death, they'll obviously question how I knew. So, I would be exposed sooner or later, but-

"That is a lie, human," Obsidia interrupted, eyes sharp as a hawk. "The smell of blood on you is too potent to be a mere accidental cut."

Damn you and your sharp nose, Obsidia...

I sighed. "Fine...I'll tell you guys what happened...but before that, where's Flaria?"

I forgot about her twice in one day...luckily I remembered to ask about her right now. But...she doesn't seem to be here?

Yu An Yan sighed. "She began pouting when we said we were going to meet up with you, saying something like 'I don't want to see that bastard of a master'...right now, she's still in our room inside."

She pointed inside the Sleepless Starlight, and I let out a deep breath. "Man...it's going to be a while before she forgives me. I'm assuming since she's still in the room, you guys haven't checked out yet?"

Feng Mian nodded. "It hasn't been 8 hours yet, anyway."

"I see...let's talk in the room, then," I suggested.

No one objected, so we all headed back inside the Sleepless Starlight, in our own private room.

*****

- Inside the Room -

"Huh?! Why is he here?! Why did you guys bring him here?!"

"C-Calm down, Flaria..." Feng Mian murmured, trying to get the tiny phoenix to chill.

The moment I stepped through the door, Flaria began yelling and pouting, and eventually, Mei Gui had to take Flaria out the room.

"So? What happened while we were asleep...?" Feng Mian asked, folding her arms, once everything was quiet again.

I sighed. "Well...basically, we fought back against the Midnight Syndicate's forces, and somehow managed to win."

"...Wait, what?" Yu An Yan blinked.

"Yeah, I know...it's pretty hard to believe. Basically, I was informed by Song Qian Long that the Midnight Syndicate was initiating Phase Two of their plan, with Phase One already complete."

"So the monsters are all just Phase One..." Qing Yue murmured thoughtfully.

"Yes. But in any case...I originally just planned to come up with a strategy for them, but then push came to shove and I ended up going along to the actual fight," I explained. "On our side, we had our own army, reinforcements from other cities, numerous Golden Monarchs including the father of An Xue and An Yan, Yu Ao, Qing Yue's mother, Qing Xin, and Li Hai Tang. And...we also had Song Qian Long. But on the other side...we were facing an army of thousands of monsters."

I hesitated a bit before saying his name, since I wasn't fully over his death yet.

"I see...and you managed to win?" Obsidia asked, slightly impressed.

I nodded. "But...it wasn't without a cost."

"...There were casualties, I'm guessing...?" Lan Xiao Su asked quietly.

I looked away, a grim expression on my face. "...Yeah."

"So that is why you've been feeling off, Big Brother Xuan Kai..." Qing Yue said with a sigh, a worried expression on her face. "...Who was it?"

I closed my eyes. "You'll...find out soon enough."

As if on cue, the mall's PA system suddenly cackled to life, and Mayor Zhou's voice came through.

"Greetings, citizens of Shenzhen. I am the mayor of this city, Zhou Qian. I understand that you all are eager to get back to the comfort of your own homes after this terrifying and disastrous event, but please, just pause for a moment. I would like to make an important announcement to all those who are still here, within the mall."

We all perked our ears up...well, everyone except me. I knew what was coming, after all.

"Together, with all of our strength, we managed to overcome this nightmare. It was truly a fierce battle, but in the end, we were the ones to come out on top. However...our victory was not without a cost," Mayor Zhou continued, his voice turning darker.

"Throughout this battle, many brave souls have fallen. Our own soldiers, and the reinforcements from our neighboring cities - to which I am ever grateful for. I will never forget the sacrifices you made for us today...nor will the rest of this city. But above all that - beyond the footsoldiers who died fighting for their homeland...there is one irreplaceable figure who we lost today."

A short silence, before finally continuing.

"He was our hero, our leader, our symbol of hope. Someone we could look up to and trust in. Someone...who we could always rely on when in danger. And indeed - he protected all of us from danger once again today...that is, at the cost of his own life."

The entire mall fell silent at these words, as if it wasn't already quiet enough before when the announcement first began.

"His name, is Song Qian Long. The Dragon of Shenzhen. As we move forward into the future from here, we will never forget - without him and his sincerely honorable sacrifice, we would have no future. For him...I humbly ask everyone here to stand and initiate one minute of silence."