Chapter 24
Xuan was standing on where it would get bombed in the original plot. This was the turning point of the battle. The Uruk-hai couldn’t have broken into this fortress otherwise in a single night otherwise. Zheng discussed with Xuan beforehand and they came up with a solution. Once the wall was bombed, Zheng would use the Book of the Dead to alter the terrain of the area to block the Uruk-hai from entering the fortress.
How could Xuan have forgotten about the bomb? Yet, he was still standing at that section of the wall. Right as Zheng turned around, he saw the Uruk-hai with the torch charged toward sewer under the wall.
“No!” Zheng’s eyes were bloodshot. There wasn’t even the time for him to dismount. He jumped straight off the Nightmare’s back then jumped again midair with Instant Destruction into Geppo. He was flying to where Xuan was.
His speed was still too slow. The Uruk-hai was only four meters away from the wall. Its body impaled with numerous arrows but it made the jump into the sewer before the end of his life. Bang! A seven-meter wide section of the wall was blasted. The explosion was so strong that the shockwave blew Zheng back several meters. This wasn’t a primitive bomb made from gunpowder as depicted in the movie. The explosion was on par with their high-explosive bombs.
The instant Zheng landed, he charged toward the exploded area. The Uruk-hai were swarming toward the opening as they roared in frenzy. Then they met the even more frenzied Zheng. His eyes were bloody red and he was growling like a wild beast. The front most Uruk-hai that came near him instantly turned into numerous small pieces. No one could see clearly what he did. Zheng was charging right through the Uruk-hai, hoping to reach the opening first.
The Uruk-hai of course did not consent. They attacked the tiny human (in their eyes). Zheng’s hands moved ever so slightly but dozens of Uruk-hai near him were torn apart as if they were killed by a beast. Zheng left a trail of torn pieces of bodies as he ran. His hands each grabbed a Uruk-hai’s head. When he reached the broken wall, he slammed the heads into the wall. The two heads were smashed into tiny pieces.
“Xuan? Are you alright?” He yelled with craze as soon as he entered through the broken wall. A trail of broken bodies lay behind him. Not one Uruk-hai was able to delay him for even a second. The Uruk-hai in the distance hesitated as they witnessed his strength.
Under the broken wall, YinKong and ChengXiao were already there. YinKong carried Xuan out right after the explosion. ChengXiao was forcing medicine into Xuan’s mouth. Yet, his gloomy expression was nothing like his normal cheerful and confident self. The bad feeling deepened inside Zheng.
“How is him? I am fucking asking you how is him?” Zheng shouted before he even came close.
ChengXiao shouted back at him. “You just fucking stand there and hold off the Uruk-hai! Trust the doctor when you are wounded… I am the doctor here. Now, shut up!” He didn’t slow down as he talked. He took off Xuan’s clothes. Zheng saw blood pouring out from Xuan’s left chest, where the heart was located. It seemed just like…
“Ah! I will make you pay with your lives! The Uruk-hai! Saruman!” He shouted then charged back to the opening.
Legolas seemed to be hesitating. He wanted to say something but no words came to his mind when he saw the whirlwind of flesh and blood within the Uruk-hai army. He frowned and continued shooting. Back in the elven realm, Xuan once looked for him.
“Yes. I asked Legolas to take me to meet you, Lady of the Wood.“
Dawn had yet to come. The Fellowship was going to leave after the sun rose and Galadriel would give each of them a gift. Two after midnight, Xuan woke Legolas up to bring him to Galadriel.
Galadriel said with a sly smile. “Oh, emotionless human. What do you wish to see me for? To apologize for the ornament you broke?”
Xuan replied calmly. “No, to make a deal with you.”
Galadriel was surprised then she laughed. “Your friends have promised a deal with the elves. Are you looking to circumvent them and make a deal with us by yourself?”
“Not that type of trade.” Xuan shook his head. “I wish to obtain something to you. And in return, I will give you the One Ring dispelled of Sauron’s soul. Of course, that won’t be right now. The next time we come to this world…”
Galadriel frowned. She stared at Xuan with seriousness. “Enticing but don’t you think you’re talking about the impossible? If Sauron is so easily defeated, the many races of Middle Earth wouldn’t have given him the title of Dark Lord. It was a sign of our fear. What do you wish to obtain from me?”
Xuan gazed at Galadriel. “I need something that allows a person to revive after death, or to fake a death. It can be an item, or magic… There are dreadful enemies of our team in this world. I am uncertain of our ability to rival them. If we failed, then the One Ring and our deal with the elves will fall through. Tell me, do the elves have such item or magic?”
Legolas felt a sharp pain on his face. An arrow grazed past his cheek and pulled him back from the memory. Xuan also talked to him after speaking with Galadriel. He was told not to tell the rest of team China about the meeting. Legolas agreed and buried the secret in his heart.
(However, will everything proceed as you expected, Xuan? If Zheng forgot about that item, you will lose your life.) Legolas stared at Zheng. He wanted to yell but held himself back many times. When Zheng ran back out of the Uruk-hai, Legolas stopped shooting and fixed his eyes at Zheng.
Zheng was holding the leaf of Telperion in his hand. His whole body was dripping in blood and so was his hand. He stuck the leaf into Xuan’s mouth. The leaf turned into a green liquid in an instant then flowed down his throat.
Zheng let out a sigh of relief. He gazed at ChengXiao. “Hurry and look at his injury. Didn’t you save Boromir even when he had a hole in his chest? How could you not save your comrade?”
He was being extremely unreasonable. The injury was the deciding factor on whether the medic was able to save someone. ChengXiao ignored him. His needle moved between the skin on Xuan’s chest. The thread was sewing up the wound. YinKong kept a Freezing Pill in her hand in case Xuan entered critical condition.
Zheng stared as ChengXiao performed the treatment. He also ran out the broken wall again and tore nearly three thousand Uruk-hai to pieces before returning. The Uruk-hai stopped coming to this area. And so the archers on the wall managed to keep them from advancing.
ChengXiao’s hands moved faster and faster. A bit of redness returned to Xuan’s face. The blood coming out from his chest was lessening. However, just as ChengXiao was going to close up the wound, he cried with tears. “Fuck it! I am done with this… What do you want me to do when his heart was crushed. There wasn’t even time for me to treat the wound and no time to give him the Freezing Pill. What do you want me to do…”
Zheng’s expression changed abruptly. He lifted ChengXiao and shouted. “Didn’t you close up the wound? Aren’t blood returning to his face? Didn’t I feed him the leaf of Telperion? Why didn’t you give him the Freezing Pill? Why?”
YinKong immediately forced the pill into Xuan’s mouth. However, there was no sign of him being frozen because he could no longer swallow the pill. YinKong crushed the pill and tried to mouth feed him but it was no use. She felt his pulse on the neck then stood up. “… He’s dead.”
(Adam. Chu Xuan is confirmed dead.)
Zheng lost his strength. ChengXiao fell from his hands. His eyes were completely red and seemed lost. He turned around and walked toward the Uruk-hai army step by step. As he exited through the broken wall, an Explosive Shot flew right at his face. He lifted his hand and grabbed the arrow. Then he roared as he charged into the Uruk-hai army.