A few more explosions rang out across the city.
The ground trembled beneath their feet, as if the earth itself was cracking open. Thick clouds of dust and smoke spiraled into the air, turning the sky into a choking haze. The sharp scent of burning metal and stone invaded Jian's nose. He coughed, eyes stinging, but he didn't let that stop him. He pulled himself to his feet, his ears still ringing.
On the ground nearby, Nansich groaned and shifted slightly, dazed and bruised from the earlier blast. Jian didn't wait. He reached down, grabbed the back of Nansich's shirt, and hauled him upright.
"We need to get moving," he said flatly, his tone edged with urgency.
That blast just now—it was only the beginning. A test strike. The real one would come soon. Once the army and the aerial units tried to bomb the ships, they would retaliate. Hard. The city would be obliterated in seconds. Jian didn't want to be here to witness it.
