Solflare: The Painter's Secret-Chapter 133: Sector 8 of Chaos City (1)

As the clock struck 5:00 a.m. in the morning, the translucent panel shimmered to life in Leon’s mind, shattering through his glorious dream, then vanished.

Leon stood up, his arms touching his scalp. "What time is it?" He blinked twice, the leftover sleep reeling from his eyes.

He walked toward the small bathroom and pushed the door open. The door remained open as he washed himself.

After five minutes, he exited, feeling fully refreshed. Then, beside Liu Yan, the screen of her smart device lit up.

Ding! Ding!! Ding!!!

She groaned, her arms flaring upward, then slammed it hard on the device, muting the sounds.

Although her action gave her what she wanted, it woke up Wu Ze.

"Can’t she stop using that? It’s a waste." Wu Ze stood up, the back of her palm scrubbing her eyes as she moved toward the washroom.

Wu Ze entered and slammed the door shut, which sent the walls and the beds vibrating.

Liu Yan’s eyes blinked open. "Oh." She walked toward the bathroom door, then pushed it. "Is someone inside?" She turned toward Leon.

"Yeah, Wu Ze just entered." Leon gave a subtle smile, then walked toward his wardrobe.

Twenty minutes later, after all four of them were fully refreshed and wearing their combat gear, Liu Yan scanned them, then moved toward the table in the room’s center.

"Let’s try our possible best to at least complete one task successfully."

Leon shifted his gaze from her to An Lang’s tired-looking expression and Wu Ze’s saddened one.

He closed the gap between Wu Ze, then placed his palms around her shoulders. "We are together in this. Don’t worry."

Wu Ze looked at Leon with a devastated stare, then moved away from him.

At the courtyard, where other members had grouped, including the Black Ops, noise rose when they saw Wu Ze, An Lang, and Liu Yan approaching the transport bay.

"Another day to swim in failure."

"If I were them, I would have just quit or give myself as an offering to the creatures."

"I bet you will, hahaha."

But when Leon appeared before them, everyone turned extremely quiet, their arms covering their mouths.

From a distance, Bao Xiong and Tiger approached, walking like grooms nearing the altar.

"What is going on that you’re all quiet all of a sudden?"

No one answered him. The twins turned their trembling arms toward the jet-black-haired boy.

"Ahh..." Bao Xiong gave a short laugh, his arms around his waist. "Do you think he can make any difference?"

"Come on, they will return with the same result."

...

Inside the transport bay, Wu Ze leaned by the wall, the tip of her index finger tapping on the metal surface.

Liu Yan stood beside her, her black sword hanging at her waist.

An Lang stood a bit far from Wu Ze on the right side, holding a war disc.

In the bay, Leon remained the only one with the smallest weapon.

Although Wu Ze held two pens, their transformation into a katana made it different from the black dagger held tightly under Leon’s grip.

No one spoke in the bay until it landed at Sector 8 of Chaos City.

"Let’s not forget about what we discussed earlier. Let’s just try to survive." Liu Yan gave a dissatisfactory sigh, then stepped forward, drawing her sword.

’Just survive?!’ Leon stared at her, his mind reeling.

A roaring sound welcomed them the moment they stepped out of the bay. Dust, discarded rubber, and torn newspapers flew in a miniature storm around them.

Blood and acidic liquid dressed the ground as they began moving past the collapsed building.

"Let’s take this route," Liu Yan ordered, turning her right arm toward the junction where there seemed to be green vegetation in comparison with the right junction.

"Are you sure this is the right path for us to take?" An Lang asked, his fingers curling around the handle of the war disc.

"As far as there is green vegetation, the possibility of us facing lesser creatures is high," Liu Yan stated, taking the first step in that direction.

Wu Ze followed without saying a word or questioning Liu Yan. ’I’m fed up with life; this will be the right place for me to finally rest.’

With her knowledge from her previous groups she used to move with, Wu Ze knew frantically that they were entering the deadliest part of Chaos City.

"Fine." An Lang followed, swinging his disc at his side.

’Well, since they have decided on the path, let me follow. I just need to make sure we survive.’ Leon followed, his arm nearing the dagger.

The green vegetation thinned the deeper they went.

What had looked like life from a distance unraveled into rot up close—mold crusted over broken pavement, vines burrowed into cracks in concrete as if feeding on the city’s bones. Buildings rose on either side like hollowed carcasses, their windows dark, their frames strangled by creeping growth. The air carried a sharpness that caught in the throat, dry and brittle, like breathing in powdered glass.

Leon slowed without realizing it.

His steps shortened. His shoulders tightened.

"Stop," he said quietly.

Wu Ze halted at once, her weight settling low, pens already angled forward in her hands. Liu Yan lifted her fist in a sharp, controlled motion, freezing the formation. An Lang’s war disc tilted slightly, its edge giving off a faint, restless hum as if reacting to something ahead.

The sound came again.

Click.

Click-click.

Leon’s eyes tracked forward.

The ground shimmered, light bending strangely near the rubble-strewn street ahead. From beneath a collapsed overhang, shapes crawled into view—thin legs piercing the concrete without sound, bodies translucent enough to refract the dim light into fractured rainbows.

Glass Skitters.

Their insectoid forms looked fragile, almost beautiful, until their needle limbs flexed and their faceted heads angled toward the group.

A translucent panel flickered at the edge of Leon’s vision.

[D-Rank Identified: Glass Skitter x5]

"They’re low-level," Liu Yan whispered, voice steady but tight. "Take them fast."

One of the Skitters twitched.

Then it lunged.

Leon moved.

There was no pause, no conscious decision. His body flowed forward, dagger flashing as his arm cut through the air. The blade traced a clean arc and met the creature’s thorax. There was no resistance—just a soft, brittle sensation, like slicing through hardened sugar.

The Skitter shattered mid-leap, collapsing into glittering fragments that scattered across the ground.

Two more sprang at him at once.

Leon dipped under the first, his shoulder brushing cold air as he twisted. His foot hit the wall beside him, pushing off as he reversed direction. The dagger plunged downward into the second creature’s core.

For a fraction of a second, gold light flared at the point of impact—quick and contained, gone almost as soon as it appeared.

The Skitter burst apart.

To his left, Wu Ze moved in silence. Her twin pens shifted shape mid-swing, lengthening and flattening into razor-edged blades that tore through another Glass Skitter with brutal efficiency. The creature didn’t even have time to react before it came apart in her hands.

Liu Yan stepped forward once.

Her sword flashed.

One strike was all it took.

Behind Leon, An Lang’s war disc left his palm with a sharp whistle, spinning through the air. It cleaved the last Skitter cleanly in half before curving back, settling into his hand with a muted thud.

Silence dropped over the street.

Five shattered bodies littered the ground, refracting what little light remained.

No one was injured.

"That was easy," An Lang muttered, exhaling as his shoulders loosened.

Leon didn’t answer.

Liu Yan’s eyes narrowed as she scanned the ruins. Her grip tightened on her sword. "Too easy."

The ground trembled.

It wasn’t violent—just enough to be felt through the soles of Leon’s boots. A heavy sound followed, slow and deliberate, like iron plates dragging over stone.

Leon turned.

From between two collapsed buildings, massive shapes emerged. Their bodies were low and long, muscles coiled beneath overlapping scales of dark metal. The scales reflected light dully, as if absorbing it rather than shining. Their jaws opened, strings of black saliva stretching between serrated teeth.

The panel flickered again.

[C-Rank Identified: Ironhide Lizard x2]

Leon’s breath caught.

"These aren’t D-rank," Wu Ze said, her voice flat but edged with tension.

"Spread out!" Liu Yan barked.

The first lizard charged.

Leon lunged to meet it, dagger flashing toward its neck.

Clang.

The impact jolted up his arm. Sparks burst where the blade skidded off the metal skin, leaving nothing but a shallow scrape.

Before he could pull back, the lizard’s tail snapped around.

Leon raised his arm on instinct.

The blow sent him flying.

His back slammed into a wall, the force driving the air from his lungs. Dust exploded around him as his head struck concrete. Pain flared white behind his eyes.

"Leon!" Liu Yan shouted.

Wu Ze dashed in, blades striking toward the lizard’s eyes. The tips screeched against reinforced flesh, leaving thin marks but no real damage. The creature recoiled, roaring, but stayed on its feet.

An Lang hurled his disc, aiming for the joint behind its rear leg.

Crack.

The disc lodged halfway into the gap. The lizard bellowed and twisted violently, slamming its body sideways. An Lang was caught mid-recovery, thrown off his feet and smashed into the ground.

"Damn it!" he coughed, rolling onto his side.