Author's Note: Hey people! Another chapter for you to sink your teeth into. This is a relatively short one, but that's for a good reason. Things are gonna kick off! Now to save you the nervous anticipation, I won't say much. Just gonna say that this is only the beginning!

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN KFP!

Enjoy.

An Explosive Surprise

Snow meanders down from the veil of shadowy clouds hovering against the night's ghostly spotlight. Any trace of a star is blotted out by this dark veil, rendering the city's celestial guardians as non-existent. Cutting through the calm yet chilling breeze of the winter night, Crane and Monkey soar across the rooftops of the heavenly city, their eyes darting all around in surveillance.

They've already scanned the perimeter and haven't found anything particularly suspicious. Luckily, there haven't been any more victims, but that doesn't cease the panic steadily mounting in their hearts. It doesn't stop those few playful flakes of snow from bashing into their speeding bodies, freezing their bones despite their constant movements. They've been tasked to survey the area, to see when their ruthless enemy will attack next. Safe to say, it hasn't been easy.

Only a few lanterns litter the city, making Crane's eye in the sky of little use to pierce through the clusters of darkness inhabiting the streets and murky alleyways. Though Monkey does try to aid on ground level, he still sticks to the rooftops and side of buildings, making sure the wolf doesn't catch him off-guard.

As they enter the city square, focused blue eyes gaze up to the bird master. "You see anything?" He calls out to him, swinging past a tall residential building housing the city's wealthy visitors. Visitors now afraid to even set foot outside since Zhongcheng's attacks.

It takes a moment for Crane to give an answer, his eyes scanning the rooftops just ahead. For a moment, his eyes squint in suspicion. He swore he could've seen something moving within the shadow coated rooftop, but the lack of anything shifting further makes him brush it off. Maybe this wolf commander really is getting to him. Yellow irises dart over to his langur friend, "Nothing! You?"

Monkey narrows his eyes as he navigates a sea of darkness in yet another one of the city's winding alleys, "I can barely see anything here!" Hopping back up to the rooftops, he glances once again around the city, a thought cropping up in his head. "Do you really think he'd strike again so soon?"

Yellow beacons continue to scan through the darkened corners of the illustrious city as the winter air continues to batter his wings, "If what Zhonglei said is anything to go by, then yes." He can just about hear Monkey's laboured sigh as they exit the square, heading towards the east side, "Besides, he killed an elite guard not even an hour after we chased him halfway across the city." A regrettable fact that pangs at the langur master's anxious mind.

During another scan of the streets below, something catches Crane's eye. Or at least, the remains of something. Mountains of blackened wood and ash litter the very edge of the square, with chunks of windows and doors barely even resembling what they are meant to be. Despondence floods into his mind, the panic and fear of having to save everyone from the collapsing tower rushing back like a river through a channel. He doesn't know how he had managed to reach them all in time, but one thing is for certain. It could have ended much worse.

Sadly enough, this is all he can see this torn up carcass as. Not as a sign of their bravery and heroism. But a monument to Zhongcheng's merciless, vicious carnage. A searing fear crawls up his spine, constricting his body more than the winter's unyielding cold as he turns his head away from the sight. If that wolf is capable of something that horrid when he's on the backfoot, then he doesn't want to imagine what he can do when the cards are in his favour. This fear soon tightens its blazing shackles around his heart, scorching it with thoughts of his family at the wolf's mercy. Or lack thereof. I'll wait for you… His promise rings through his ears, drenched in the hope of living in true peace after all this madness. Crane's eyes narrow with a new resolve, flying lower to get a better look at whatever could possibly be roaming down below. He will keep that promise, no matter what.

Monkey, however, finds his mind drifting off. The torturous symphony of the hospital dragging him back, holding him in place as he experiences those howling voices and desperate screams. He can't help but let a sickly chill ripple along his skin as those poor victims ring true in his mind. Their bodies, their minds acting as a prison. For a split-second he sees his family take their place. A terrifying apparition that finally forces him out of his involuntary rumination. Just in time too, as he manages to redirect himself from hitting a building head on, swinging from its edge with his paw.

Noticing this, Crane gazes at his primate brother who gazes back, not even bothering to hide the dread grasping at his features. They share a look of silent understanding before continuing their mission. They must find this psychopath, quickly.

Unbeknownst to them, as they shoot across the rooftops, a pair of yellow eyes peer out from the dark before several shadows shift along the roof of a mid-sized building on the edge of the square. "That was close." A sigh of relief puffs out of Wing as her sisters gaze at the retreating kung fu masters, Zhongcheng himself climbing up the side of the building from the alley below.

Wan places a paw on her heart as she pulls down her facemask, "I could've sworn he saw me." Ignoring her youngest sister's whisper, Su-Wu watches on as Crane and Monkey's shrink in the distance. After a few moments, she takes a few steps over to the commander looking through his telescope, noting the crimson eye branded on his shoulder pauldron.

"There are a few guards in the palace towers, but none that'll be able to see us." His calculated timbre provides the snow leopard a small comfort, knowing that they aren't rushing into this unprepared. Though one thing still concerns her.

"And you're certain that the masters won't focus on the warehouse?"

He retracts his telescope and turns to face the leading snow leopard, his pale white fur given a deathly glow from the moon's luminescent glare. "They're bound by their honour, their responsibility to protect. They wouldn't sacrifice that for anything, even if there is a better strategy." Dark blue eyes dart over to the kung fu masters, a satisfied smirk appearing on his face. "They've entered the east side, time to move."

Knowing for certain they'll be out of earshot and away from the masters' focus, they leap across the rooftops towards a six-story building. The very residential tower that those masters have just passed. Within mere minutes they manage to scale across the relatively low-rise buildings of the square, forcing them all to pounce onto the side of it. They unsheathe their claws as they begin their climb up to the very top. As if in response to their plan, the wind pushes against them with a renewed intensity. As if the very universe itself is trying to stop this plan from coming to fruition. It does little to deter them, however, as they make it past the fourth and fifth floor with ease. Only two things concern both the wolf leader and Su-Wu, how loud they would be to the citizens inside and if the kung fu masters will return before they can truly set things in motion. As they reach the roof of the building, Zhongcheng takes a quick glance at the kung fu masters, confirming their remained distance before joining the Wu-sisters at the top of the wealthy residence. As planned, he hands Su-Wu his telescope before pacing over to the east side of the roof. Taking a deep breath, he closes his eyes and links his fingertips together, making them emanate an ominous blue glow. This glow is soon mirrored in his irises as they open.

Meanwhile, far on the east side of the city, a large huddle of shadows remains cloaked within the alley neighbouring Mimi's love palace. Hushed whispers and impatient mutterings tickle the walls as these shadows maintain an incomparable stillness within this cloak of darkness.

Woosh!

Stale orange orbs pierce from this veil of shadows, staring straight up at the two figures that had just zoomed straight past them. A moment of flabbergasted silence swerves in between Gongjiang's platoon of wolves before their quiet murmurings recommence, only this time they marvel at how close that was. Funnily enough, however, only the wolves mutter on. He shifts his gaze to the outliers in his army. Or at least, they're outliers now…

Rhinos, leopards, bears, Ox, all bearing the imperial crest. All with eyes devoid of their irises and pupils, its blank white canvas replaced with a low, sickly blue. He'd never say it out loud, but their silence, their emptiness… it unnerves him. But he gives it little thought. They are loyal to the emperor, not China at large. Or at least they were. Now, they serve a much better cause. Letting out a smirk at this thought, he is soon snapped out of it by the footsteps of one of these rhino sentinels, his eyes letting out a faded blue glow. "General, the commander wants to know if we're ready to proceed." Strangely enough, his voice isn't hollow or monotone. He speaks the same way he would his actual commander, with the same conviction and respect any imperial soldier is demanded of.

Yet another thing that irks the bison about these brainwashed soldiers, its as if they're convinced that they're doing the right thing, that they're involved with their own people. Something that doesn't betray itself in their looks. Though he is tempted to ask how on earth his brother had managed to do this, Gongjiang focuses his mind on the mission. He gives a quick glance to his wolf soldiers, all answering back with resolute glares, some even seeming excited. His smile widening at the sight, the bison general's deep voice quakes the ground beneath them despite its quietness. "Inform him that we're ready to move out."

"Sir, yes sir." After giving a quick salute, that glow fades from his eyes, leaving him a hollow sentinel awaiting the general's orders.

Zhongcheng disconnects his fingers, making the glow of his chi die out instantly. "Gongjiang's ready." He informs the Wu-sisters before moving closer to their leader, "What's the status on the west?"

She doesn't answer immediately, her singular yellow eye focused on the vast waters surrounding the western docks. Hovering over the very pier their forces are set to raid, she notes the increased presence of imperial soldiers alongside servants yielding the imperial emblem. Of course, that will get the emperor's attention for sure. As a few crates of food and materials are passed around from the docked ships, something else catches Su-Wu's attention through the telescope. A singular scaled fist rises from the waters, easy enough to see from her distance yet discreet enough to avoid any unwanted attention. It slowly descends back into the water as she collapses the telescope in her paws, "They're all set."

"Excellent." The commander smiles to himself as he reaches towards his waist, "You all know what to do, now go." As he pulls out a metallic ball from the back of his waistband, the Wu-sisters' eyes widen at the sight of the fuse. Clearly another one of Gongjiang's nifty toys. They don't need to be told twice, latching onto the side of the building with their claws and sliding down as Zhongcheng lights the fuse by striking his claws on the metallic surface. "Your reign begins tonight, my lord." With that sinister pledge, he places the bomb in the centre of the roof before jumping off the east side of the tower and clinging to its surface with his claws.

Kaboom!

This monstrous explosion echoes across the city, stopping the patrolling kung fu masters in their tracks. They stare at the fire igniting the sky up high, lighting up the gigantic match of the residential tower. "That came from the square." Monkey mutters before looking towards his comrade, "We have to warn the others."

Though he would normally agree, Crane points out, "There are people in there, Monkey! By the time everyone else arrives they'll be burnt to a crisp!" He notices the tiny amount of hesitation in the langur master's eyes but doesn't mirror it. They both know this has to be a trap, but they can't let any more innocent people die. "C'mon!" In an instant, they shoot across the city's rooftops again, heading straight for the flaming residence with a modicum of fear in their hearts.

Unbeknownst to them, this explosion was merely a signal. Reptilian eyes watch the destructive flare high above the city's skyline before sinking back into the massive yellow river. Mere moments pass before the alligator soldiers rise out of the water and amass upon the pier, wielding curved swords and sharpened axes as they initiate their attack. Several rhino soldiers are caught off guard as they are decimated by a single swing of their weapons. At seeing their brethren fall, several jaguar soldiers bellow out, "Intruders! We're under attack!" A fight soon breaks out, but the imperial soldiers find all too quickly that they are outnumbered with alligators numbering at over a hundred, all wearing a crimson eye upon their damp armour.

A lone eagle soldier watches the chaos unfold from the palace's security tower, collapsing his telescope as he rushes inside.

Meanwhile, on the east side of the city, the explosion rings out as a muffled murmur inside the cannon warehouse, hidden beneath the lewd establishment to conceal the production's metallic clanks. "Did you hear that?" One elite guard whispers to another, receiving an anxious nod in response. They had overheard the death of one of their own a few hours ago. Though there are fifty of them inside here, something simply doesn't sit right with them. This threat has been too crafty, too many steps ahead of them all. If the explosion outside is any indication, then he's not letting up anytime soo-

Crash!

All production ceases at the sound of commotion rippling outside the warehouse's iron door. Ten elite guards ready their weapons before standing in formation near the front of the entrance, the panicked screams of innocent civilians ringing out. The meagre flames of the facility's lanterns only sear the ominous silence further, making each leopard soldier grip their weapons tightly. Sweat drips down to the floor, that tiny patter of noise only drowned out by their chorus of deep, awaiting breaths. They keep their ground as this commotion only gets closer and closer.

Two elite guards stand at the back of the warehouse, right at the tunnel leading back to the emperor's illustrious palace. "Warn the emperor. Someone has found us." One whispers to the other, ready to do what must be done. The other nods, ready to sprint away at a moment's notice. Their anticipation only punches harder at their heart as the sound of loud, gathered footsteps march ever closer until…

Boom!

A mighty explosion blasts the iron doors wide open, making the soldiers upfront hold their shields in a line. What they don't expect however, is for Gongjiang to charge in headfirst, shattering their formation with his unbelievable strength. Wolves, rhinos, and jaguars all swarm in through the hole in the door, baffling the elite guards as they recognise some as their own men. The others find themselves dumbfounded at the sight of lord Shen's insignia. "Leave no survivors! Show no mercy!" The bison's roar threatens to bring the facility's very foundation down upon them as his army consume it in its entirety.

Without hesitation, one of the elite guards bolts into the tunnel whilst his friend ignites the dynamite planted at the tunnel's entrance. Within a few seconds, he hears an explosion, but he doesn't look back. He doesn't even look back at the sound of his brothers' dying screams. He knows that the entrance has collapsed, and that the enemy has seized those cannons. All that he can do now is sprint back to the emperor and hope that he won't be too late.

Hope that the jade palace masters will be enough to stop this threat.

Holy crap! Things are falling apart! Crane and Monkey are on their own! And the madness won't stop there, believe me! I'll try my best to get the next few chapters out soon because things only get crazier from here on out. Hope you are all enjoying the story so far! Until next time :)