The burly man opened his mouth as if he wanted to curse out loud, but before the words could escape, life left him first.
Zhang Yuanqing looked over the body a few times to confirm the man had indeed passed away, then he turned his head to look at Jiang Yuer.
Jiang Yuer stood with her mouth agape, wide enough to fit an egg, staring at Zhang Yuanqing in utter disbelief.
I like that expression. Zhang Yuanqing’s gaze shifted downwards, glancing at the middle-aged female doctor who was shivering under the table, and with a swift chop of his hand, he knocked her out.
The woman let out a muffled grunt as she slumped to the floor.
Zhang Yuanqing sheathed his hand blade, feeling instinctively that such violence was impolite, yet also normal, so he didn’t dwell on it further and turned his attention back to Jiang Yuer.
“Yuan, Yuanqing.”
Jiang Yuer stuttered, her beautiful, watery eyes filled with shock and confusion, seemingly unable to accept that Zhang Yuanqing had suddenly appeared before her.
Yet, amidst the shock and confusion, there was also the joy of the most trusted person dropping from the sky when she was most in need of rescue.
“Aunt, are you alright?”
Jiang Yuer burst into tears with a “wa” sound, embracing Zhang Yuanqing like a swallow returning to the forest, and began to sob softly.
Zhang Yuanqing gently stroked Jiang Yuer’s back, whispering comfortingly, “Now’s not the time for explanations. Stay here, and I’ll deal with those thugs. If you have any questions, come to my room tonight, and we’ll talk then.”
Since the thugs had made such a mess, anyone who survived would have to sign a Confidentiality Agreement. Having witnessed the Fire Warrior’s actions and his own appearance, the existence of “Superpowers” could no longer be hidden from her.
Moreover, he had arrived in a rush and had not disguised himself. Since there was no elimination mechanism in the spirit realm, he decided to “self-expose” his identity.
Zhang Yuanqing believed that there was no need to hide when saving family, and not revealing himself was only to avoid disrupting their peaceful lives. Now that she was involved in a spirit realm walker incident, he chose to let things take their natural course.
“Don’t go,” Jiang Yuer clung tightly to her nephew’s waist, her voice filled with terror, “They have guns.”
Zhang Yuanqing, not quite comfortable with such closeness, gently pushed her away and said softly:
“There are bombs downstairs. If we don’t deal with them, everyone in the hospital will die. Trust me.”
He put on a serious face, then saw Jiang Yuer sniffle and nod obediently. Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself that he must really embody the mature charisma of a leader now, as even Jiang Yuer seemed subdued by his commanding presence.
He gestured for Jiang Yuer to sit down on the chair and pondered his next move. He quickly analyzed the advantages and disadvantages of both sides.
Li Xianzong’s disadvantage was time; he couldn’t afford to linger in the hospital for too long. Once directors from other districts, or even Elders, arrived, Li Xianzong would be doomed.
Thus, the Bewitching Demon’s plan was likely to force the “Primordial Celestial Lord” into the hospital and then detonate the bombs in the shortest time possible.
The bombs were the advantage of the thugs. Once detonated, the casualties would be numerous, making it headline news.
Every Official Walker in Kangyang District would be facing disciplinary action.
So, the most crucial step now was to deal with the bomb.
“The controller for the bombs definitely isn’t in Li Xianzong’s hands. He dared to initiate this Terrorist Attack by exploiting the Sinister Eye Judge’s ‘Servant’ mentality of mutual destruction in a suicidal strike. However, Li Xianzong wouldn’t go for mutual destruction; in his mind, the lives of ordinary people could never compare to his own.”
“There are still five thugs remaining, and it’s impossible for me to take out so many spirit realm walkers in a short time. Locking onto the controller is the key.”
Zhang Yuanqing’s train of thought was very clear, and he quickly formulated a plan: eliminate the thug controlling the bomb Controller first, resolve the bomb issue, and then move on to the rest at his leisure.
But how to lock onto the bomb controller? Zhang Yuanqing planned to Inquire the soul, seeking clues from the body of the Fire Warrior.
No sooner had he thought it than done, darkness swirled in the depths of Zhang Yuanqing’s eyes as he communicated with the spirit lingering in the corpse, Summoning it and swallowing it whole.
Jiang Yuer’s eyes widened, her eyes slightly red, with the bewildered look of a young girl who couldn’t understand the situation and didn’t dare to ask too much.
A dozen seconds later, Zhang Yuanqing opened his eyes, his expression exceedingly grim.
There were bombs on both the first and second floors. The controller for the first floor’s bomb was in the hands of the second-floor thugs, while the controller for the second floor’s bomb was with the first-floor thugs.
This meant he had to take out two thugs holding controllers simultaneously.
“I can’t kill the thugs on the first and second floors at the same time by myself. Ask Teng Yuan for help? No, the moment he enters the hospital lobby, the bombs would immediately explode.”
Zhang Yuanqing pulled out his phone, quickly typed a message, and sent it to Li Dongze.
Then, he turned to Jiang Yuer and spoke in a low voice, “Hide here, don’t go out no matter what. If there’s an explosion, don’t panic.”
Jiang Yuer obediently nodded, her voice filled with worry, “What about you?”
“I’ll be fine,” Zhang Yuanqing waved his hand and then felt his phone vibrate. Li Dongze had replied:
“Captain Yuan will arrive in two minutes.”
Elsewhere, outside the outpatient building, Teng Yuan, wearing a duckbill cap and a mask, pressed the button on his walkie-talkie:
“Li Xianzong, you should be able to see me.”
A carefree laugh came through the walkie-talkie, “How do I know you’re not the Primordial Celestial Lord? Take off your mask and hat, let me have a look.”
Teng Yuan said indifferently, “If I remove my mask and hat, you can confirm it’s me?”
“That makes sense!” Li Xianzong’s laughter came through:
“Then I’ll just assume you’re the Primordial Celestial Lord. Here’s a Prompt: a bomb is installed under the first floor’s inquiry desk, and in a few minutes, it will explode automatically. The controller is on the guy in the black coat. If you want to save the ordinary people in the hospital, get moving.
“Primordial Celestial Lord, let’s see what you’re made of.”
Teng Yuan raised his hand to his ear and whispered, “Did you hear that?”
Li Dongze’s voice came through the wireless microphone:
“He’s lying to you. There are bombs on both the first and second floors, but the controller for the first floor’s bomb is in the hands of the second-floor thugs. If you storm in, the second-floor thug will detonate the first floor’s bomb.”
Teng Yuan: “How do you know that.”
Li Dongze: “The Primordial has already infiltrated the hospital. He Assassinated a thug and obtained intel by Inquiring the soul.”
Teng Yuan: “This kid, he’s quite reassuring. We should give him a raise after this.”
Li Dongze: “.”
I’m the Decurion!!
Li Dongze: “Don’t enter yet, pretend to be hesitating. The longer you can stall, the better. Li Xianzong is watching you.”
Teng Yuan: “Judging by the time, the Director and other teams will be here soon. Have you ever thought about why Li Xianzong still dares to stay in the hospital? What’s the source of his confidence and self-assurance?”
Li Dongze: “Are you suggesting he’s confident he can escape?”
Mid-sentence, Li Dongze changes topic: “Yuan Ting is here, get ready to act. Teng Yuan, you provide support based on the situation.”
Teng Yuan: “Understood.”
“Yuan Ting has infiltrated the hospital. He’s responsible for taking out the thug on the first floor, you handle the second. In three seconds, I’ll have Wang Tai cut the hospital’s surveillance system.”
Zhang Yuanqing’s phone vibrates lightly. After reading the message, he starts counting silently in his mind: one, two, three.
He initiates Night Wandering, darting out like a wild horse freed from its reins.
Meanwhile, in the surveillance room, Li Xianzong’s gaze shifts from Teng Yuan to check the time, then he scans the first, second, and fourth floors.
His time is running out. This game is played on time differences; to continue stalling would lead to a dead end. He has at most five minutes before he must withdraw.
With this in mind, Li Xianzong subconsciously touches his pocket to make sure the Item is still there.
This Item has no offensive capabilities, but it’s of a high level. Aside from some special sealing methods, nobody can trap him.
This is the confidence that allows him to risk a Terrorist Attack. You should know, conducting a Terrorist Attack in a big city means either you don’t want to live or, even if you’re a Saint Stage expert, you wouldn’t dare to play this game.
Suddenly, he frowns and picks up the walkie-talkie:
“Number four, let me see you, number four, let me see you.”
The walkie-talkie is dead silent, no response.
Li Xianzong’s eyebrows raise, and he asks, “Number five, what’s going on?”
The thin man in the fourth-floor waiting area grabs the walkie-talkie and replies with a chuckle, “Number four is inside playing with a woman. Heard it’s a real beauty.”
“Go check on him. I suspect the Primordial Celestial Lord has already infiltrated.”
“Isn’t he at the entrance?”
Li Xianzong scoffs, “You believe that just because the Official says so?”
The thin man immediately leaves the hostages and heads toward the obstetrics and gynecology corridor. At the same time, Li Xianzong sees the surveillance screens flicker and turn to static.
They’re here! Li Xianzong commands through the walkie-talkie:
“Someone has cut the surveillance, detonate the bombs immediately.”
“Someone has cut the surveillance, detonate the bombs immediately.”
The thug on the second floor receives the message through the walkie-talkie. One of them, a dark-skinned, silent man, without any hesitation, reaches into his pocket.
He has been waiting for this moment for a long time. From the moment he learned the Black Guards of Impermanence were killed and the Grail fell into Official hands, his life had been nothing but despair.
A life of despair should burst forth with brilliant sparks at the end.
“Bang Bang!”
Just as his fingers touch the detonator, two bullets explode in the back of his head, the impact and burst of flames causing the man’s body to sway and stagger backward.
The expected scene of brains splattering everywhere doesn’t happen; this is an Earth Monster.
Behind the two men, the figure of the attacker appears, young in appearance with a face marred by black and red scars.
Anticipating the sudden assault, the two thugs were prepared. One raises his gun to shoot while the other continues with the interrupted “detonation process.”
“Bang bang bang”
The bullets hit the assailant, but it’s as if they hit a reflection.
Hidden in the corner, Zhang Yuanqing pulls out a “Scarecrow.” The Scarecrow’s face twists and writhes, growing out eyes and a nose, taking on the Earth Monster’s form.
Zhang Yuanqing pinches the head of the Scarecrow with two fingers and exerts force.
The Scarecrow shows an expression of “pain.”
In the next second, the Earth Monster suddenly clutches his throat, emitting a strained “heh heh” sound, his face engulfed in a shade of ashen defeat.
Various negative emotions flash through his mind—anger, pain, slaughter, hatred, sorrow. The Earth Monster’s reason is lost in the fall, becoming a beast driven by negative emotions.
He targets the other thug, the only real danger, and lunges at him.
“Fuck!”
The grim-faced accomplice curses, backing away while aiming his gun at the Earth Monster and pulling the trigger.
“Bang bang bang”
The bullets hit the Earth Monster’s head, as if striking steel armor, ricocheting off and causing the hostages around to panic, scream, and flee in disarray.
The grim-faced man discards his empty gun, dodges the Earth Monster’s wild punches with a swift move, and reaches for the other’s pocket.
He’s after the detonator.
At this moment, the grim-faced man catches a glimpse of the attacker reappearing a few meters to his left, different from the previous illusion—this time, the assailant’s face is adorned with a pair of black-framed Glasses.
The attacker raises his gun and aims at him.
Bang!
The large-caliber gun emits smoke and flames, the fiery-red bullets spinning at high velocity, splashing on the thug’s body like stones thrown into a pond.
This is a Water Ghost!
He can briefly ignore any physical attack.
The grim-faced man shows a mocking smile at the attacker; he’s successfully reached into the Earth Monster’s pocket.
But at that moment, the attacker drops the gun, his hands now equipped with a pair of crimson red half-fingered knuckle dusters, clashing his fists together in front of his chest.
“Boom!”
Flames and heat waves roll out as if a high-explosive grenade has exploded in the waiting area, shaking the walls and licking at flammable materials.
The Water Ghost and Earth Monster are both sent flying by the fierce explosion.
Fortunately, the recent fight had caused the nearby hostages to scatter; otherwise, this blast would have decimated them.
Of course, it’s precisely because the hostages have fled that Zhang Yuanqing dares to use this move.
He picks up the Burst Pistol from the ground, firing at the Water Ghost, forcing him to keep rolling away.
Zhang Yuanqing shoots while moving towards the dazed Earth Monster, like an indifferent assassin walking through a hail of bullets.
At this point, the Earth Monster shakes his head, staggering to his feet.
Zhang Yuanqing leaps up, knees plunging into the Earth Monster’s neck, sending him back down to the ground.
With gloved hands, Zhang Yuanqing reaches into the Void and pulls out a forty-centimeter-long silver broken blade. He raises it high and plunges it forcefully into the back of the Earth Monster’s skull.
“Ha!”
The Armor-piercing effect of the Blade of Bloodthirst directly shatters the Earth Monster’s once-proud defense, burying half the blade into its head.
The Earth Monster ceases to struggle.
Seizing the opportunity, the Water Ghost escapes deeper into the consultation area.
Zhang Yuanqing doesn’t bother chasing after the fleeing Water Ghost; instead, he retrieves the detonator from the Earth Monster’s pocket. Just as he secures the item, he hears the dull sound of footsteps from the corridor outside the waiting hall.
Looking in the direction of the sound, he sees Yuan Ting.
This River King is dressed in black trousers and a black shirt, exuding an indescribable air of nobility.
Beside him stands a pale, expressionless, burly man with ebony-sharp fingers and murky eyes—a Zombie.
“The two thugs downstairs have been dealt with, and the hostages have been dispersed. Did you get the detonator?” Yuan Ting speaks rapidly.
“I’ve taken care of it,” Zhang Yuanqing says, shifting his gaze from the Zombie. “But a Water Ghost got away, and there’s still a thug on the fourth floor, hmm, and Li Xianzong.”
The situation is unfolding more smoothly than he anticipated.
With the bomb handled, the hostages can escape, and given the number of thugs remaining, it will be difficult to regain control over them. By now, Li Dongze and the others must have already taken action.
Yuan Ting nods and says, “Well done, you’re growing very quickly. Elder Sun is confused indeed. Don’t waste time, head to the fourth floor.”
As his words fall, a thick fog suddenly envelops the surroundings.
The white, dense mist obscures the vision, including Yuan Ting from Zhang Yuanqing’s line of sight.
“Be careful, the Bewitching Demon at the Saint Stage called the Mist Lord is invincible in dense fog. This must be one of Li Xianzong’s Items,” Yuan Ting’s voice cuts off abruptly.
Silence surrounds him, and Zhang Yuanqing can no longer discern the directions; the whole world seems to leave him in solitude.
The burly man opened his mouth as if he wanted to curse out loud, but before the words could escape, life left him first.
Zhang Yuanqing looked over the body a few times to confirm the man had indeed passed away, then he turned his head to look at Jiang Yuer.
Jiang Yuer stood with her mouth agape, wide enough to fit an egg, staring at Zhang Yuanqing in utter disbelief.
I like that expression. Zhang Yuanqing’s gaze shifted downwards, glancing at the middle-aged female doctor who was shivering under the table, and with a swift chop of his hand, he knocked her out.
The woman let out a muffled grunt as she slumped to the floor.
Zhang Yuanqing sheathed his hand blade, feeling instinctively that such violence was impolite, yet also normal, so he didn’t dwell on it further and turned his attention back to Jiang Yuer.
“Yuan, Yuanqing.”
Jiang Yuer stuttered, her beautiful, watery eyes filled with shock and confusion, seemingly unable to accept that Zhang Yuanqing had suddenly appeared before her.
Yet, amidst the shock and confusion, there was also the joy of the most trusted person dropping from the sky when she was most in need of rescue.
“Aunt, are you alright?”
Jiang Yuer burst into tears with a “wa” sound, embracing Zhang Yuanqing like a swallow returning to the forest, and began to sob softly.
Zhang Yuanqing gently stroked Jiang Yuer’s back, whispering comfortingly, “Now’s not the time for explanations. Stay here, and I’ll deal with those thugs. If you have any questions, come to my room tonight, and we’ll talk then.”
Since the thugs had made such a mess, anyone who survived would have to sign a Confidentiality Agreement. Having witnessed the Fire Warrior’s actions and his own appearance, the existence of “Superpowers” could no longer be hidden from her.
Moreover, he had arrived in a rush and had not disguised himself. Since there was no elimination mechanism in the spirit realm, he decided to “self-expose” his identity.
Zhang Yuanqing believed that there was no need to hide when saving family, and not revealing himself was only to avoid disrupting their peaceful lives. Now that she was involved in a spirit realm walker incident, he chose to let things take their natural course.
“Don’t go,” Jiang Yuer clung tightly to her nephew’s waist, her voice filled with terror, “They have guns.”
Zhang Yuanqing, not quite comfortable with such closeness, gently pushed her away and said softly:
“There are bombs downstairs. If we don’t deal with them, everyone in the hospital will die. Trust me.”
He put on a serious face, then saw Jiang Yuer sniffle and nod obediently. Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself that he must really embody the mature charisma of a leader now, as even Jiang Yuer seemed subdued by his commanding presence.
He gestured for Jiang Yuer to sit down on the chair and pondered his next move. He quickly analyzed the advantages and disadvantages of both sides.
Li Xianzong’s disadvantage was time; he couldn’t afford to linger in the hospital for too long. Once directors from other districts, or even Elders, arrived, Li Xianzong would be doomed.
Thus, the Bewitching Demon’s plan was likely to force the “Primordial Celestial Lord” into the hospital and then detonate the bombs in the shortest time possible.
The bombs were the advantage of the thugs. Once detonated, the casualties would be numerous, making it headline news.
Every Official Walker in Kangyang District would be facing disciplinary action.
So, the most crucial step now was to deal with the bomb.
“The controller for the bombs definitely isn’t in Li Xianzong’s hands. He dared to initiate this Terrorist Attack by exploiting the Sinister Eye Judge’s ‘Servant’ mentality of mutual destruction in a suicidal strike. However, Li Xianzong wouldn’t go for mutual destruction; in his mind, the lives of ordinary people could never compare to his own.”
“There are still five thugs remaining, and it’s impossible for me to take out so many spirit realm walkers in a short time. Locking onto the controller is the key.”
Zhang Yuanqing’s train of thought was very clear, and he quickly formulated a plan: eliminate the thug controlling the bomb Controller first, resolve the bomb issue, and then move on to the rest at his leisure.
But how to lock onto the bomb controller? Zhang Yuanqing planned to Inquire the soul, seeking clues from the body of the Fire Warrior.
No sooner had he thought it than done, darkness swirled in the depths of Zhang Yuanqing’s eyes as he communicated with the spirit lingering in the corpse, Summoning it and swallowing it whole.
Jiang Yuer’s eyes widened, her eyes slightly red, with the bewildered look of a young girl who couldn’t understand the situation and didn’t dare to ask too much.
A dozen seconds later, Zhang Yuanqing opened his eyes, his expression exceedingly grim.
There were bombs on both the first and second floors. The controller for the first floor’s bomb was in the hands of the second-floor thugs, while the controller for the second floor’s bomb was with the first-floor thugs.
This meant he had to take out two thugs holding controllers simultaneously.
“I can’t kill the thugs on the first and second floors at the same time by myself. Ask Teng Yuan for help? No, the moment he enters the hospital lobby, the bombs would immediately explode.”
Zhang Yuanqing pulled out his phone, quickly typed a message, and sent it to Li Dongze.
Then, he turned to Jiang Yuer and spoke in a low voice, “Hide here, don’t go out no matter what. If there’s an explosion, don’t panic.”
Jiang Yuer obediently nodded, her voice filled with worry, “What about you?”
“I’ll be fine,” Zhang Yuanqing waved his hand and then felt his phone vibrate. Li Dongze had replied:
“Captain Yuan will arrive in two minutes.”
Elsewhere, outside the outpatient building, Teng Yuan, wearing a duckbill cap and a mask, pressed the button on his walkie-talkie:
“Li Xianzong, you should be able to see me.”
A carefree laugh came through the walkie-talkie, “How do I know you’re not the Primordial Celestial Lord? Take off your mask and hat, let me have a look.”
Teng Yuan said indifferently, “If I remove my mask and hat, you can confirm it’s me?”
“That makes sense!” Li Xianzong’s laughter came through:
“Then I’ll just assume you’re the Primordial Celestial Lord. Here’s a Prompt: a bomb is installed under the first floor’s inquiry desk, and in a few minutes, it will explode automatically. The controller is on the guy in the black coat. If you want to save the ordinary people in the hospital, get moving.
“Primordial Celestial Lord, let’s see what you’re made of.”
Teng Yuan raised his hand to his ear and whispered, “Did you hear that?”
Li Dongze’s voice came through the wireless microphone:
“He’s lying to you. There are bombs on both the first and second floors, but the controller for the first floor’s bomb is in the hands of the second-floor thugs. If you storm in, the second-floor thug will detonate the first floor’s bomb.”
Teng Yuan: “How do you know that.”
Li Dongze: “The Primordial has already infiltrated the hospital. He Assassinated a thug and obtained intel by Inquiring the soul.”
Teng Yuan: “This kid, he’s quite reassuring. We should give him a raise after this.”
Li Dongze: “.”
I’m the Decurion!!
Li Dongze: “Don’t enter yet, pretend to be hesitating. The longer you can stall, the better. Li Xianzong is watching you.”
Teng Yuan: “Judging by the time, the Director and other teams will be here soon. Have you ever thought about why Li Xianzong still dares to stay in the hospital? What’s the source of his confidence and self-assurance?”
Li Dongze: “Are you suggesting he’s confident he can escape?”
Mid-sentence, Li Dongze changes topic: “Yuan Ting is here, get ready to act. Teng Yuan, you provide support based on the situation.”
Teng Yuan: “Understood.”
“Yuan Ting has infiltrated the hospital. He’s responsible for taking out the thug on the first floor, you handle the second. In three seconds, I’ll have Wang Tai cut the hospital’s surveillance system.”
Zhang Yuanqing’s phone vibrates lightly. After reading the message, he starts counting silently in his mind: one, two, three.
He initiates Night Wandering, darting out like a wild horse freed from its reins.
Meanwhile, in the surveillance room, Li Xianzong’s gaze shifts from Teng Yuan to check the time, then he scans the first, second, and fourth floors.
His time is running out. This game is played on time differences; to continue stalling would lead to a dead end. He has at most five minutes before he must withdraw.
With this in mind, Li Xianzong subconsciously touches his pocket to make sure the Item is still there.
This Item has no offensive capabilities, but it’s of a high level. Aside from some special sealing methods, nobody can trap him.
This is the confidence that allows him to risk a Terrorist Attack. You should know, conducting a Terrorist Attack in a big city means either you don’t want to live or, even if you’re a Saint Stage expert, you wouldn’t dare to play this game.
Suddenly, he frowns and picks up the walkie-talkie:
“Number four, let me see you, number four, let me see you.”
The walkie-talkie is dead silent, no response.
Li Xianzong’s eyebrows raise, and he asks, “Number five, what’s going on?”
The thin man in the fourth-floor waiting area grabs the walkie-talkie and replies with a chuckle, “Number four is inside playing with a woman. Heard it’s a real beauty.”
“Go check on him. I suspect the Primordial Celestial Lord has already infiltrated.”
“Isn’t he at the entrance?”
Li Xianzong scoffs, “You believe that just because the Official says so?”
The thin man immediately leaves the hostages and heads toward the obstetrics and gynecology corridor. At the same time, Li Xianzong sees the surveillance screens flicker and turn to static.
They’re here! Li Xianzong commands through the walkie-talkie:
“Someone has cut the surveillance, detonate the bombs immediately.”
“Someone has cut the surveillance, detonate the bombs immediately.”
The thug on the second floor receives the message through the walkie-talkie. One of them, a dark-skinned, silent man, without any hesitation, reaches into his pocket.
He has been waiting for this moment for a long time. From the moment he learned the Black Guards of Impermanence were killed and the Grail fell into Official hands, his life had been nothing but despair.
A life of despair should burst forth with brilliant sparks at the end.
“Bang Bang!”
Just as his fingers touch the detonator, two bullets explode in the back of his head, the impact and burst of flames causing the man’s body to sway and stagger backward.
The expected scene of brains splattering everywhere doesn’t happen; this is an Earth Monster.
Behind the two men, the figure of the attacker appears, young in appearance with a face marred by black and red scars.
Anticipating the sudden assault, the two thugs were prepared. One raises his gun to shoot while the other continues with the interrupted “detonation process.”
“Bang bang bang”
The bullets hit the assailant, but it’s as if they hit a reflection.
Hidden in the corner, Zhang Yuanqing pulls out a “Scarecrow.” The Scarecrow’s face twists and writhes, growing out eyes and a nose, taking on the Earth Monster’s form.
Zhang Yuanqing pinches the head of the Scarecrow with two fingers and exerts force.
The Scarecrow shows an expression of “pain.”
In the next second, the Earth Monster suddenly clutches his throat, emitting a strained “heh heh” sound, his face engulfed in a shade of ashen defeat.
Various negative emotions flash through his mind—anger, pain, slaughter, hatred, sorrow. The Earth Monster’s reason is lost in the fall, becoming a beast driven by negative emotions.
He targets the other thug, the only real danger, and lunges at him.
“Fuck!”
The grim-faced accomplice curses, backing away while aiming his gun at the Earth Monster and pulling the trigger.
“Bang bang bang”
The bullets hit the Earth Monster’s head, as if striking steel armor, ricocheting off and causing the hostages around to panic, scream, and flee in disarray.
The grim-faced man discards his empty gun, dodges the Earth Monster’s wild punches with a swift move, and reaches for the other’s pocket.
He’s after the detonator.
At this moment, the grim-faced man catches a glimpse of the attacker reappearing a few meters to his left, different from the previous illusion—this time, the assailant’s face is adorned with a pair of black-framed Glasses.
The attacker raises his gun and aims at him.
Bang!
The large-caliber gun emits smoke and flames, the fiery-red bullets spinning at high velocity, splashing on the thug’s body like stones thrown into a pond.
This is a Water Ghost!
He can briefly ignore any physical attack.
The grim-faced man shows a mocking smile at the attacker; he’s successfully reached into the Earth Monster’s pocket.
But at that moment, the attacker drops the gun, his hands now equipped with a pair of crimson red half-fingered knuckle dusters, clashing his fists together in front of his chest.
“Boom!”
Flames and heat waves roll out as if a high-explosive grenade has exploded in the waiting area, shaking the walls and licking at flammable materials.
The Water Ghost and Earth Monster are both sent flying by the fierce explosion.
Fortunately, the recent fight had caused the nearby hostages to scatter; otherwise, this blast would have decimated them.
Of course, it’s precisely because the hostages have fled that Zhang Yuanqing dares to use this move.
He picks up the Burst Pistol from the ground, firing at the Water Ghost, forcing him to keep rolling away.
Zhang Yuanqing shoots while moving towards the dazed Earth Monster, like an indifferent assassin walking through a hail of bullets.
At this point, the Earth Monster shakes his head, staggering to his feet.
Zhang Yuanqing leaps up, knees plunging into the Earth Monster’s neck, sending him back down to the ground.
With gloved hands, Zhang Yuanqing reaches into the Void and pulls out a forty-centimeter-long silver broken blade. He raises it high and plunges it forcefully into the back of the Earth Monster’s skull.
“Ha!”
The Armor-piercing effect of the Blade of Bloodthirst directly shatters the Earth Monster’s once-proud defense, burying half the blade into its head.
The Earth Monster ceases to struggle.
Seizing the opportunity, the Water Ghost escapes deeper into the consultation area.
Zhang Yuanqing doesn’t bother chasing after the fleeing Water Ghost; instead, he retrieves the detonator from the Earth Monster’s pocket. Just as he secures the item, he hears the dull sound of footsteps from the corridor outside the waiting hall.
Looking in the direction of the sound, he sees Yuan Ting.
This River King is dressed in black trousers and a black shirt, exuding an indescribable air of nobility.
Beside him stands a pale, expressionless, burly man with ebony-sharp fingers and murky eyes—a Zombie.
“The two thugs downstairs have been dealt with, and the hostages have been dispersed. Did you get the detonator?” Yuan Ting speaks rapidly.
“I’ve taken care of it,” Zhang Yuanqing says, shifting his gaze from the Zombie. “But a Water Ghost got away, and there’s still a thug on the fourth floor, hmm, and Li Xianzong.”
The situation is unfolding more smoothly than he anticipated.
With the bomb handled, the hostages can escape, and given the number of thugs remaining, it will be difficult to regain control over them. By now, Li Dongze and the others must have already taken action.
Yuan Ting nods and says, “Well done, you’re growing very quickly. Elder Sun is confused indeed. Don’t waste time, head to the fourth floor.”
As his words fall, a thick fog suddenly envelops the surroundings.
The white, dense mist obscures the vision, including Yuan Ting from Zhang Yuanqing’s line of sight.
“Be careful, the Bewitching Demon at the Saint Stage called the Mist Lord is invincible in dense fog. This must be one of Li Xianzong’s Items,” Yuan Ting’s voice cuts off abruptly.
Silence surrounds him, and Zhang Yuanqing can no longer discern the directions; the whole world seems to leave him in solitude.
