A flash, buildings casting new shadows for a split second. ‘Shit!’ said the pilot. ‘Major, they’re shooting at us – they’ll blow us up just like the jets!’

‘It’s not us,’ she said. The burst of light had come from behind them. She scrambled to the hatch and looked back towards the city’s centre. Were more fighters under attack?

None were in sight – but the realisation of what was happening was even more terrifying.

Another flash came from amongst the skyscrapers, then a third. Bolts of unnatural lightning squirmed and writhed between the towers. Even from this distance, she saw the walls of mirrored glass shatter. Dust rose as buildings shook, more and more bursts of light erupting amongst them—

A dazzling, silent flare. She jerked back into the cabin, shielding her eyes. For a moment, even the helicopter’s clamour seemed to fade to nothingness . . .

A monstrous roar – and the Z-20 lurched as a shock wave pounded it.

Wu clung desperately to the seats as the aircraft spun. Her ears popped: it was falling, fast. She opened her eyes, seeing the city whirl past, getting ever closer—

The helicopter swayed sickeningly . . . then stabilised.

Panting, Wu looked out at Xinengyuan as the Z-20’s turn slowed. Its centre came back into view.

Or rather, it would have . . . had it still been there.

Where glass towers had stretched towards the sky, now she saw nothing but a hideous, boiling mass of dust and smoke. At the city’s heart was a crater at least a kilometre wide. Buildings far beyond it had been scythed into rubble. Countless fires burned amongst the wreckage.

She stared at the appalling sight, speechless. The qi weapon worked, exactly as predicted . . . but it had been turned against its creators. Xinengyuan had been devastated. Even though the city’s population was only a fraction of its potential, thousands must have been killed.

She turned to look through the opposite window. The tiny golden mote of the Nephilim craft shrank to nothing amongst the haze on the distant horizon. ‘You bastards,’ she hissed after it. ‘You bastards. I’ll kill you all . . .’

The same shock wave also struck Nina and Eddie’s helicopter. They were farther from ground zero than Wu, but the impact was still terrifying, their Z-20 falling several hundred feet before the pilots regained control.

‘Oh my God,’ Nina gasped, seeing the destruction behind them. ‘They blew up the city!’ Macy, too frightened to speak, clung tightly to her.

Eddie regarded the sight with grim dismay. ‘Jesus. Knocking down some skyscrapers was bad enough, but that? The Chinese’ll kick someone’s arse in revenge. Terminally.’

‘Let’s make sure it’s not ours,’ said Nina.

Dr Hui nodded. ‘We must get you out of here as quickly as possible.’ She spoke to the pilot.

He increased power, the helicopter gaining speed as it fled the cataclysm.

Chapter 38

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