When a group of patrollers hurried to the scene, they saw only the scattered remains of Fractsidus members across the ground and Noah standing beside Jiyan.
"Noah!"
Yangyang called out from afar, running over while clutching her chest and breathing lightly:
"Thank goodness, you're okay… Wait—these were all you?"
Yangyang's eyes suddenly widened as she pointed at the carnage around them. Noah nodded calmly:
"I told you—I'd win."
Chixia stared blankly at the fallen Fractsidus members, admiration filling her eyes. She ran over and gave Noah a big thumbs-up:
"Wow, Noah—you're amazing! I knew you were strong, but not this strong. By the way—where's General Jiyan?"
In answer, Noah pointed beside him, his gaze reluctant:
"Dear Jiyan's right here. See if there's any saving him? Feels like he's halfway gone."
Everyone finally turned their attention to the blood-soaked figure nearby. One patroller's eyes widened; he rubbed them and let out a mournful cry:
"General Jiyan!"
Once his identity was confirmed, the patrollers erupted in discussion, their gazes flickering between Jiyan and Noah.
"It really is General Jiyan!"
"How did the General end up injured like this!"
"Could it be this hero… General, say something—someone bring medicine! The General's too badly wounded to speak."
Some patrollers carefully laid Jiyan flat, took medicines from their kits and administered them, then used alcohol and bandages to treat the horrific wounds.
Yangyang pressed her lips together as she watched Jiyan's faint breathing, asking the question everyone most wanted answered:
"Um… Noah, do you know what happened to General Jiyan?"
"Jiyan was gravely injured and controlled by Fractsidus to attack Taoyuan Vale. Right now, he has no self-awareness—he's more like a puppet."
Noah sighed, gazing toward Jinzhou as he explained slowly:
"Just now, to pin me down, Fractsidus ordered Jiyan to stand still and not move—and he's stayed in that exact posture ever since."
"Yes—Noah's right."
A cool, clear voice came from behind the group. Chixia turned and cried out in delighted surprise:
"Baizhi! It's Baizhi."
Baizhi stepped into the center of the crowd, bowed slightly to Noah, and gave a formal salute:
"I saw everything that just happened. Noah—thank you for stepping in and saving Taoyuan Vale."
"It was nothing."
Baizhi looked at Noah gratefully, then quickly walked to Jiyan's side.
Among everyone present, only she could offer any real help for his injuries.
"General Jiyan's condition… is extremely dire."
The more Baizhi probed with Syntony, the deeper her frown became:
"Countless injuries inside and out, complete mental pollution from a Threnodian, and prolonged overclocking!"
"I don't know what method Fractsidus used to control him, but under normal circumstances, wounds like these would make it impossible for him to move at all."
"And if we want to treat General Jiyan's injuries…"
She suddenly bit her lip, unable to look at Jiyan any longer. She shook her head with a long sigh, like a doctor delivering a terminal diagnosis:
"Unless the Sentinel intervenes, General Jiyan may not survive past tomorrow."
Hearing Baizhi's conclusion, everyone reeled. Their gazes toward Jiyan gradually filled with sorrow.
Overclocking—excessive use of resonance ability—causes the body to shift toward becoming a Tacet Discord.
But most people don't even reach that point; they're torn apart by the overclocked resonance energy within them first.
Jiyan's resonance ability had always been stable. What exactly had he experienced inside the bounded Jinzhou to lose control like this?
Chixia clenched her fists tightly and proposed:
"Then let's go find the Sentinel. General Jiyan has toiled for Jinzhou all these years. With injuries this severe, the Sentinel will surely save him."
"It won't work."
Baizhi shook her head again:
"Only the Magistrate knows the Sentinel's location, but the Magistrate right now…"
Baizhi spoke at length.
The shattered Jinzhou.
The unknown Sonoro Sphere.
The imprisoned Magistrate Jinhsi.
The horrifying Tacet Discord conversion experiments.
And Yuanwu and Taoqi, whose fates were unknown.
One devastating piece of bad news after another left the patrollers—including Yangyang and Chixia—pale with shock and fury.
Only Noah, hearing it all, felt numb.
Forget finding Rover—Jinzhou had actually been destroyed by Scar. The citizens were polluted en masse, even captured for cruel experiments.
As expected, in the world of Wuthering Waves, ordinary lives hung by a thread.
Most critically—how had the game plot collapsed this badly?
If the story followed the game exactly, he'd rather trail behind Rover as a cheerleader, living a safe, steady life in Solaris.
But fate had other plans.
As if struck by inspiration, Noah's eyes suddenly lit up.
By Wuthering Waves logic, current Jinzhou was far more critical than the game's Ovathrax revival plus Retroact Rain crisis.
In that case, Rover should appear soon, sweep Fractsidus aside, and turn the tide!
But…
Noah looked at the faintly breathing Jiyan on the ground, his expression unreadable.
Should he really do nothing and wait for Rover? What if Rover never showed?
Keep waiting?
Some people—despite having the power—would rather watch tragedy unfold than act.
Noah despised such people. Yet fate had placed that very choice before him.
The outcome would affect not just himself, but Jiyan, Yangyang, Chixia, and countless others in Jinzhou.
Noah's fists clenched tight, veins bulging on his arms. His breathing grew heavy. Finally, he made his decision—
Placing hope in Rover meant anxious waiting.
But placing hope in himself meant running forward without hesitation!
Knowing the plot inside out, he would no longer sit idly by. Even if it triggered a chain of butterfly effects—so what? The plot was already ruined, wasn't it?
What was there left to fear?
He would speedrun Jinzhou—speedrun Mt. Firmament! Save Jiyan!
That was, after all, the daily life of a professional carry.
Decision made, Noah picked up a Veil-Proof Bracelet from a fallen Fractsidus member and glanced at Yangyang and the others deep in heated discussion.
Time was short—he didn't want to explain. He turned and walked alone toward Jinzhou.
"The enemy's strength far exceeds what we can match. Now they've extended their claws to Taoyuan Vale on Jinzhou's edge."
Baizhi calmly analyzed the situation and offered a rational plan:
"Before reinforcements from the Grand Library arrive, we must evacuate Taoyuan Vale and transmit the intelligence Taoqi gathered."
"Is that… our only choice…"
Yangyang lowered her head dejectedly, her gaze unconsciously drifting to the gravely wounded Jiyan.
General Jiyan had entered the boundary to protect Jinzhou, fighting invaders alone to the last moment. Now they had to abandon him.
If they evacuated, General Jiyan would truly die quietly in agony. How could they…
She knew Baizhi's proposal was the most rational under the circumstances, yet Yangyang couldn't help recalling Noah's earlier words.
"You say the villagers of Taoyuan Vale refuse to evacuate, but the ones who truly don't want to leave… are you two."
"But I believe—"
"What should end is the suffering—not life itself!"
Huh? Where's Noah?
Yangyang suddenly raised her head, looking around. Finally, she spotted Noah's figure heading toward Jinzhou.
Beneath the crimson burning clouds, he walked silently forward, as if resolved to something—without turning back.
In that instant, she couldn't describe the feeling in her heart.
Bittersweet? Moved? Joyful?
Yangyang had no time to savor it. Her feet were already moving, chasing after him:
"Noah!"
She fell into step beside him and gently persuaded:
"You're going to Jinzhou? The enemy is very powerful."
Noah shrugged: "My blade has yet to taste defeat."
Mist clouded Yangyang's eyes. She gazed intently at Noah. Invisible courage surged within her, birthing boundless fighting spirit:
"I'll go with you."
If we do not return… then let us not return.
She could not stand by and watch someone like General Jiyan quietly await death.
[Main Quest: "Utterance of Marvels - Part 2" completed.]
[Rewards: Radiant Tide ×20, Lustrous Tide ×20, Astrite ×1800, Shell Credits ×280000.]