[Main Quest: "First Resonance" has been activated.]
[Quest Description: As the lanterns light up, the waves call out to one another. Follow the friendly guidance—the bustling, peaceful frontier city now gazes upon you in return.]
[Completing the main quest "First Resonance" will grant rewards: Radiant Tide ×20, Lustrous Tide ×10, Astrite ×1600, Shell Credits ×100000.]
Looking at the quest description on his panel, Noah confirmed once again that something was wrong with this quest module.
What bustling, peaceful frontier city?
Was it referring to the ruins beneath his feet?
Even as a professional carry who knew every inch of Wuthering Waves' maps by heart, he couldn't find a single trace of Jinzhou in the wreckage below.
And that main quest—no markers, no clear completion criteria, and pitiful rewards.
Thirty pulls for finishing a main quest—not even half a soft pity. How was that enough? He still wanted to collect every character at full constellations for his gallery.
Noah had no energy left to complain. He turned to look at Yangyang, Chixia, and the group of patrollers behind him.
Yes—they had all followed!
Baizhi had wanted to come too, but Yangyang persuaded her to stay, reasoning that someone needed to carry the intelligence back.
A few younger patrollers hadn't come either; they were ordered to carry Jiyan back to Taoyuan Vale.
"So why did you all follow?" Noah asked curiously.
Chixia scratched her head, a little embarrassed: "Jinzhou's Blazing Dawn can't let you adventure alone, right?"
Yangyang lowered her head, twisting her fingers as she murmured:
"General Jiyan needs the Sentinel's help, and the Magistrate is imprisoned. Knowing all this, I can't choose to run away."
The patrollers behind them each had their own reasons:
"General Jiyan has always been my idol—the guardian deity of Jinzhou. Now that he's in danger, I have to do whatever I can, no matter how small."
"After Jinzhou was invaded, I've been furious that I couldn't contribute. These past few days in Taoyuan Vale, I've barely slept from guilt. Now that there's a chance, I can't miss it."
"Jinzhou is my hometown. Seeing it ravaged like this—I have to make the perpetrators pay in blood."
"…"
"I understand everyone's feelings. I hope you all make it home safe and sound afterward, so—"
Noah clapped his hands, cutting them off, and spoke solemnly:
"When the fighting starts, stay far back. I may not have the spare attention to protect you."
At his words, everyone nodded in agreement.
Passing through the shadow of a massive ruined structure, Yangyang seemed to sense something. She tugged Noah's sleeve, signaling the group to halt.
She pressed her temple, closed her eyes, and sensed the surrounding air currents, analyzing carefully:
"The flow tells me there are eight Fractsidus members stationed ahead. Behind them should be the entrance to the Sonoro Sphere that Baizhi mentioned."
Fractsidus had learned from past mistakes and posted guards to prevent further infiltration.
As Yangyang finished speaking, Noah drew Commando of Conviction, ready for battle.
"They're very close to the entrance. If anyone gets inside and alerts the enemy, it'll ruin everything. Leave this to us."
Yangyang held Noah back and turned to the patrollers behind her, flashing several combat hand signals.
In mere seconds, the well-trained patrollers found cover and aimed their rifles at the Fractsidus members guarding the entrance in the open area.
"Fire."
Bang!
Several gunshots rang out simultaneously.
Sensing the information carried by the flow, Yangyang nodded with a smile:
"Done. We can go now."
So convenient!
Noah praised inwardly and took the lead toward the blood-red entrance to the Sonoro Sphere.
Inside the Sonoro Sphere.
The Whisperin Erosion's influence had expanded to a hundred-meter radius. Opposite it, the frozen petite figure trembled faintly from time to time.
Looking closely, white cracks had appeared across Jinhsi's body—the price of overclocking.
Her strength and will were both at their limits. No one knew how much longer she could sustain the Sentinel's creation.
Perhaps an hour, perhaps ten minutes, perhaps the very next second—the Whisperin Erosion would fully break free of time stop and unleash its complete power.
"Heh heh heh, 'former Magistrate,' you're about to collapse, aren't you? Though if you knew Jinzhou had already fallen, you probably would have given up long ago."
Scar's lips curled upward, his face full of delight.
The moment Jinhsi ended time stop, he would strike and subdue her—that was why he had stayed here.
"How thrilling—a Sentinel Resonator. If converted into a Tacet Discord, would it be Overlord-class or Calamity-class?"
"Your Sentinel Jué resonates with you. It should sense your dire situation—why hasn't it come to save you?"
"Oh—I forgot. It's already been gravely wounded by our Fractsidus trap. Probably too busy saving itself now! Hahaha…"
Scar laughed wildly for a while, then his expression darkened abruptly.
Fractsidus's invasion of Jinzhou had two objectives.
One was to pollute Jinzhou's citizens with the Whisperin Erosion, providing ample samples and data for live-conversion Tacet Discord experiments to refine the process later.
The other was to study the Sentinel and explore the possibility of artificially inducing resonance—or even secondary resonance.
They had engineered wounds to the Jinzhou Sentinel, trapping Jué in the Mianloong Chamber. But if the Sentinel stubbornly remained hidden there, they were powerless.
Scar had no interest in monologuing to a time-stopped "statue." His earlier taunts to Jinhsi were meant to lure out the Jinzhou Sentinel through her.
As a Sentinel Resonator, Jué would naturally sense Jinhsi's current state.
Yet even under Scar's mockery, the Sentinel refused to appear.
In that case, setting up this Sonoro Sphere and openly exposing the entrance—wasn't it like winking at a blind man?
At the thought, Scar's face grew ugly. His mind raced:
Could the Jinzhou Sentinel have seen through this Sonoro Sphere as bait and thus refused to show?
"Hmph—"
"I refuse to believe you can sit by while your Resonator and all of Jinzhou's people suffer!"
"Since you won't come out—I'll force you out!"
Scar's expression turned grim as he ordered the Fractsidus member beside him:
"Drive the remaining Jinzhou civilians into the Whisperin Erosion's range. After this experiment, regardless of whether they convert into Tacet Discords—leave no survivors!"
The experimental data was already recorded on the device chips anyway.
"Yes!"
The Fractsidus member accepted the order and turned to carry it out—only for a bullet to strike his forehead, blooming into a spray of blood.
"What!"
Scar whirled in shock and fury toward the bullet's origin.
Across several floating islets, Noah blew away the white smoke curling from Undying Flame and met Scar's gaze with contempt.
Noah's lips moved soundlessly, but the shape was unmistakable to anyone:
"Fuck—you."