Chapter 69: Passing the Torch

As the Great Xia Defense Forces flooded in and the Dragon Horn suppressed the town, this night, unforgettable to all the people of Jincheng, finally came to an end...
After all, night always passes, and dawn will eventually arrive.

Nuoyan bid farewell to Ren Jie, then mounted her heavyweight motorcycle and rode off, looking utterly cool and carefree.
She did not forget to remind Ren Jie to drop by the laboratory sometime to get a new prosthetic arm installed, considering that Ren Jie’s mechanical arm came with a lifetime warranty.

The demonic disaster throughout the city was cleared out. The members of the Demon's Claw were either dead or captured, and even the target individuals who had been abducted outside the city were intercepted and rescued by the Dragon Horn personnel.
As the crisis passed, the demon defense fortifications on Qingting Mountain opened up, and people poured out like a tide, feeling grateful for having survived the ordeal.

Amidst the surging crowd, Ren Jie frantically searched for the figures he longed to see.
At last, he spotted An Ning pushing a wheelchair; she and Tao Yaoyao were also anxiously searching for him.

"Yaoyao! Aunt An Ning!"

A single cry intertwined the gazes of all three. An Ning's tears instantly spilled over, while Tao Yaoyao wailed loudly, reaching her hands out toward Ren Jie!

"Big Bro!"

Ren Jie pushed through the crowd, pulling both of them tightly into his embrace. His eyes also turned red, and the anxious burden in his heart was finally put to rest.

An Ning patted Ren Jie’s back continuously:
"It’s okay... As long as you're okay..."
"The demonic disaster... it’s too terrifying... Why do such things have to exist? Why..."
An Ning murmured as she wept.

Ren Jie couldn't help clenching his teeth and tightening his fists in secret. Yes...
Why indeed...

"I saw Old Wei earlier; he was even organizing the evacuation. Where is Old Wei? Little Jie, did you see him?"

Ren Jie’s heart shuddered violently, and he said in a hoarse voice:
"Uncle Wei... he's gone..."

An Ning’s face instantly paled, and her tears flowed uncontrollably.
"How could this... happen..."

Yet sometimes reality is just as cruel as this. The deceased are gone, but those who survive must still press onward...

Fortunately, the old residential housing area remained undamaged, and the laundry shop was still standing. After settling An Ning and Tao Yaoyao in, Ren Jie did not rest either, instead throwing himself directly into the rescue efforts.
Perhaps only by doing this could Ren Jie’s restless heart find some peace.

The rescue operations would continue for some time. In this crisis, a massive amount of Jincheng's public facilities, shopping malls, residential areas, industrial zones, and infrastructure had been destroyed, and it would take a certain amount of time to rebuild them.
However, for an infrastructure powerhouse like Great Xia, it wouldn't take too long. Major Spark Cities would send supplies and manpower to help Jincheng tide over the difficulties.
As the saying goes, when trouble arises in one place, support comes from all directions!

Ren Jie busied himself all the way until the afternoon, when he finally received a notice from the Fire-Sealer Hall, stating that a farewell ceremony would be held for the Fire-Sealers who had sacrificed themselves, to see them off on their final journey.

……

Inside the rest room of the Fire-Sealer Hall, a neat line of Fire-Sealers stood with solemn expressions as they looked toward the cremation furnaces.
Every one of them was covered in dirt, looking utterly disheveled, and quite a few bore injuries.

One by one, the remains of the fallen Fire-Sealers were sent into the cremation furnaces, turning into a handful of ashes...

Ren Jie stood in the ranks as well, flanked by Tian Yu and Lin Huairen. The three of them had come specifically to send Wei Pingsheng off on his final journey.
Ren Jie never expected that just a few days ago, Uncle Wei had been the one sending him into the cremation furnace, yet now, he was the one coming to send Uncle Wei off...

Uncle Wei had clearly already decided to retire, yet in the end, he still fell at the site of the demonic disaster...

Several team leaders, who usually looked at each other with mutual displeasure, personally pushed Wei Pingsheng inside, their fists clenched and eyes reddened.
The sounds of weeping echoed continuously through the space...

In just a single night, the Chief Captain seemed to have aged immensely...

"A Fire-Sealer for a day... a Fire-Sealer for life. Bathed in flames, we shall ultimately return to the flames. The vibrant red and orange leaping upon our uniforms are the colors of fire, the faint light in the darkness before the dawn..."
"May the fire consume us as we guard the lights of ten thousand homes!"

At this moment, all the Fire-Sealers present saluted and recited the motto in unison...
This was indeed merely a slogan, yet it was also undeniably much more than just a slogan...

The farewell ceremony ended in a heavy atmosphere.

Tian Yu rubbed his eyes, tilting his head to look at Ren Jie.
"Bro Jie? What are your plans after this? Are you staying at the Fire-Sealer Hall?"

Ren Jie was slightly stunned: "You two..."

Tian Yu and Lin Huairen exchanged glances and couldn't help grinning: "After going through so much this time, the two of us plan to work hard here at the Fire-Sealer Hall. Even if we can't awaken any abilities, there's still the path of a martial artist we can take."
"In this world, striving to improve one's own strength is never a mistake. Who knows when it might come in handy."

Ren Jie couldn't help slamming his hands onto both of their backs, breaking into a grin:
"You two brats, aren't you afraid of dying?"

Tian Yu scratched his head: "Scared～ Of course I'm scared! But... rather than living as an ordinary person, praying that a demonic disaster won't happen to fall upon my own head, I'd rather be a Fire-Sealer who guards the people..."
"Maybe it won't change all that much, but at least we can do something, right?"

Lin Huairen nodded heavily: (｡･ˇ^ˇ･) "What he said!"

Looking at the two of them, Ren Jie smiled. In them, he saw the exact same thing he had seen in Uncle Wei...
The spark of fire that had been ignited did not disappear; instead, it had been passed on to others.
Perhaps... this was the meaning of inheritance...
The torch... passed down through the generations...

Lin Huairen straightened his expression:
"Bro Jie, take my advice. Go to the Demon Hunting Academy and learn some real skills; don't stay cooped up in the Fire-Sealer Hall. With your talent, you shouldn't be confined to this place."

Tian Yu nodded: "Go learn your skills and come back to smash those little demon spawn to death. The two of us are still waiting for you to cover us. By the time you become a Demon Suppressor, maybe we'll still have a chance to work together in the future."

Lin Huairen raised an eyebrow:
"Right? We'll even have something to brag about to our colleagues. See that? That guy came out of the Fire-Sealer Hall, and he used to be in the same pre-training squad as me～"
"How awesome is that?"

Ren Jie rolled his eyes and gave Lin Huairen a sharp rap on the head:
"Do you think I'm entering the Demon Hunting Academy just so the two of you can brag?"

As he spoke, he looked toward the sunset on the horizon...
"However... perhaps it really is time to leave..."

At that moment, Ren Jie involuntarily tightened his grip on the lighter in his pocket...

When he came out of the Fire-Sealer Hall, it was already dusk. Yet through the hidden communication device, Shen Ci’s slightly exhausted voice came through!

"Come to the Demon Suppression Headquarters to pick up something. The Lantern Spirit Grass has been secured..."
"I'll take you somewhere along the way..."

Ren Jie was slightly stunned, and immediately hurried toward the Demon Suppression Bureau without stopping. He urgently wanted to know what had happened to Wu Yunqing and the others.
Were they alive or dead...

The losses suffered by the Demon Suppression Bureau this time were likewise exceptionally heavy.

……

The night was as heavy as water. Ren Jie and Shen Ci walked along the street, one behind the other...
In Ren Jie’s hand was a case containing all the things for Tao Yaoyao, as well as the Lantern Spirit Grass retrieved from the Dragon Horn.

Shen Ci spoke in a hoarse voice:
"White Deer was slain by me, and that Ghost King Luo Su escaped. He was smart and retreated before reinforcements arrived..."
"The Demon's Claw within Jincheng has been thoroughly purged. The occurrence of demonic disasters won't be as frequent as before, at least for a while, but infiltration will inevitably happen eventually."
"Your identity hasn't been exposed yet, so you're considered safe. The Tarot Executive, Demon Lord, was the mastermind behind this raid. He was chased into the Heaven-Swallowing Demon Domain by Lu Qianfan and slain, suffering heavy losses. Those little demon spawn will quiet down quite a bit recently..."
"Your Guardian will arrive soon, so you don't need to worry about your safety for the time being..."

Ren Jie took a deep breath:
"Night Moon... what about her family?"