The Phoenix of the Slums

The storm had worsened as Tianming and Xiaoqing navigated the rocky shore.

The boat bobbed violently against the rising tide, the sky a deep, turbulent gray. Waves crashed against the cliffs like thundering giants, sending a spray of saltwater into the air. The sea roared, furious at the disturbance, as if nature itself resented the events that had unfolded beneath the mountain.

Tianming adjusted his grip on the oars, his muscles sore from the exertion, but he remained focused.

They had to keep moving.

They had to get out of there before whatever they had unleashed found its way into the world.

Xiaoqing sat beside him, her eyes wide, her body stiff with tension.

She clutched her arms tightly against her chest, trying to ward off the biting wind, but the cold that gnawed at her bones was nothing compared to the chill that had seeped into her soul when the tank had cracked open.

The creature—whatever it was—was no longer confined, and neither of them knew what horrors it could bring into the world.

“That thing…” Xiaoqing’s voice broke the silence, her tone shaky, barely audible above the howling wind. “What was it?”

Tianming’s gaze remained fixed ahead, though his thoughts were far from the churning sea before him.

His mind kept replaying the moments before the tank had shattered, the monstrous claw that had emerged from the depths of the tank like a dark omen, pulsing with raw, unnatural power.

The vision of it still haunted him, its obsidian-black surface gleaming ominously in the dim light of the lab, the force with which it tore into the tank—a creature born of science and madness, perhaps even something ancient.

“I don’t know,” he muttered under his breath, though the words felt hollow. “But whatever it is, it’s not meant to be free.”

The boat creaked as a wave slammed against its side, but Tianming remained steady. His hands tightened around the oars, and he pushed forward, guiding the small vessel through the surging waters.

There was no time to slow down, no time to process everything that had just happened. The Cradle, with its horrific secrets, had been just the beginning. The creature had been the final trigger.

Something far greater was at play here, something that reached beyond the island, beyond even the Lotus Clan.

Xiaoqing’s eyes flickered toward him. The concern in them was palpable, her brow furrowed in fear. “What now? We can’t just let it roam free.”

Tianming’s face hardened as the weight of her words settled upon him. He had known the risks of what they had done. He had known they were walking into a nest of vipers, but he hadn’t anticipated that they would awaken a force so powerful, so uncontrollable. And now that they had, the consequences were beyond anything he could have predicted.

“We won’t let it roam free,” Tianming said, his voice low, a promise wrapped in cold resolve. “But it’s not just that thing we have to worry about. We need to know who created it and why.”

He paused, his eyes scanning the horizon, the dark waters stretching endlessly before them. “We’ve opened the door to something far bigger than we realized. The people behind this—Dr. Inoue Yurei, the Black Falcon Circle, they have a plan. And we need to stop them before it’s too late.”

Xiaoqing nodded slowly, her expression troubled. “But how? They’ll be looking for us. They’ll know we were there, and if we don’t act quickly, they’ll finish what they started.”

Tianming didn’t answer immediately. His mind was working through their options, each one more dangerous than the last. They were on the run, and they didn’t have much time.

The explosion at the Hai Feng 9 site had covered their tracks temporarily, but it wouldn’t be long before the Lotus Clan, or whoever was really behind these experiments, tracked them down. And then, there was the matter of the creature—the thing that had been unleashed.

It wasn’t just a biological weapon. It was something else, something far more ancient and powerful.

“I have to get back to the Orchid Society,” Tianming said suddenly, breaking the silence.

Xiaoqing looked at him, puzzled. “The Orchid Society? But… they’re just a small-time group. How could they help us with something like this?”

“They might be small, but they’re connected to the underground networks,” Tianming replied, his voice tight with urgency. “They have resources that can help us track down the people behind this. And if there’s anyone who knows anything about this kind of ancient power, it’s them.”

Xiaoqing remained silent for a moment, considering his words. “But the Orchid Society... they’re not what they seem, are they? You never told me everything about them.”

Tianming met her gaze, his expression unreadable. The truth about the Orchid Society was complicated, too complicated to explain in a few words. The organization was more than just a secret society—it was a network of influence, deep-rooted in ancient traditions and modern criminal enterprises.

He had no idea how far their reach truly extended, but one thing was certain: they had their fingers in everything, including the kinds of experiments that had taken place in the Cradle.

He had his reasons for trusting them, but those reasons weren’t something he was ready to share yet.

“I’ll explain later,” he said curtly. “Right now, we need to get to the nearest port. From there, we can make contact.”

Xiaoqing hesitated but then nodded. She knew better than to press him further. The tension between them had been building for some time, but there were bigger problems to deal with now.

They navigated the boat through the rising storm, the waves growing more furious as the wind whipped through the air. The sea, once calm and still, now seemed to churn with an unnatural energy, as if it had sensed the shift in the balance. The storm wasn’t just the work of nature—it was a reflection of the chaos they had unleashed. The island was no longer a sanctuary of secrets; it was a crucible, a place where the past and future collided.

As they approached the small, craggy port on the other side of the island, Tianming felt a growing sense of dread. They hadn’t escaped yet. The storm had yet to break, and the people behind the Cradle would stop at nothing to find them. The Keymaster, the mysterious figure who had watched them from the shadows, was not a man to underestimate. Neither was Dr. Guan Wu, the scientist who had overseen the monstrous experiments. The path ahead was fraught with peril, and Tianming couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being pulled deeper into a web they had no hope of escaping.

The boat finally reached the shore, and they hauled it up onto the rocks. Tianming took one last look at the dark waters behind them, his heart heavy with the weight of their actions. He had opened the door to something monstrous, and now there was no turning back.

“We have to move quickly,” he said, his voice urgent. “The longer we stay here, the greater the chances they’ll catch up to us.”

Xiaoqing nodded, her eyes scanning the desolate landscape ahead. There was no turning back for them now. They had chosen this path, and it was a path that would lead them into the heart of darkness.

Tianming gripped his blade tighter, his mind made up. The Cradle had opened. The creature had been born. And now, the real fight began.