"Hahaha!" The leader laughed heartily. He transformed into a three-meter-tall giant with a red hue, every muscle on his body as hard as rocks. He was once a human but had turned into a monster in an instant!
Suddenly, a blue beam shot out from beside me; it was Campbell Russell. However, that beam had no effect whatsoever on the monster. The monster was impervious to bullets!
"Hahaha—guns are useless against me! My ability is petrification after death!" he arrogantly grinned, his eyes turning blood-red, filled with the excitement of slaughter.
Petrification after death? Huh? Isn't that turning into a fossil?
"Prepare to die!" he roared, suddenly sitting down where he was, like a sturdy cannon platform. Immediately afterward, he raised both hands towards us.
"Be careful!" Edmond shouted, and the petrifier's fingers had already shot out stones!
Yes! Red stones were actually shot from his fingers!
"Bang, bang, bang!!" Like a machine gun, stones continuously shot out from his ten fingers, dense and rapid as bullets!
"Snap!" Immediately, I felt an intense pain in my right knee as it was pierced. My entire right leg lost its strength instantly, and I thought I was done for.
I was on the verge of tears. I inexplicably ended up in this world, barely escaping death, and now I was about to be shot to death by stray bullets. I'm so unwilling!
Suddenly, I felt someone lift my waist, supporting the back of my head, and in an instant, I was taken away from the barrage!
As Campbell carried me away, the surrounding time seemed to slow down. The stones moved in front of my eyes in slow motion, each one slowly traversing the air. I could even clearly see the airflow they created as they passed through the air.
In the blink of an eye, I had come to a stop. I felt a dizzying sensation as if I had just been on a roller coaster. By the time Campbell Russell let go of me, he had disappeared again from my sight. I was brought to a place beyond the range of the stone projectiles, sitting on the red, pungent-smelling muddy ground, staring at my knee. Blood had soaked through my pants, leaving a hole where the bullet had penetrated, and blood continued to flow from it.
It hurt a lot, but I couldn't care less. The monster was impervious to weapons, and how would Campbell Russell defeat him? If he didn't win, then we, and even those people in the warehouse, would all be in danger again. And that girl...
"Ugh!" With a dry heave, Edmond was also thrown over by Campbell Russell. Edmond obviously wasn't accustomed to such rapid movements; he was even more dizzy than me, supporting his knees as he regained his composure.Campbell Russell gave us a stern look. "Both of you stay here." With that, he turned around and disappeared in an instant. Shortly after, the petrified man in the distance stood up and began firing in all directions.
Campbell Russell claimed to dislike people from Silvermoon City, but when Edmond was in danger, he didn't hesitate to save him.
"Your leg is injured; we need to stop the bleeding," Edmond said, regaining his composure as he supported his knee and turned to look at my injured leg.
I was already somewhat numb from the pain, and I knew I had to stop the bleeding. However, the wound was similar to a bullet wound – a penetrating injury.
I'll do it."Edmond knelt in front of me, grimacing and with a somewhat pale face. He seemed to be suppressing dizziness caused by the rapid movement. He reached for the hole in my pants but found that it wouldn't tear. "What material is this?" he wondered.
" Enduring the excruciating pain, I slowly pulled up my pants. Luckily, the school pants were loose, revealing my calf stained with blood. The fair skin of my calf looked even whiter against the bright red blood.
Edmond's gaze fell on my calf, showing a hint of doubt.
Sweating profusely from the pain, I pulled the pants over my knee. Immediately, the bloodied hole was visible. "How do you stop the bleeding?" I asked.
Edmond snapped out of his thoughts, took out a small round ball from his pocket. The ball was white, resembling a small cotton candy. He gently held my calf, and his eyelashes under the moonlight trembled slightly, as if something surprised him.
Then, he carefully placed the white ball on the blood hole on my knee. Immediately, something magical happened; the white ball expanded, sealing the hole in my pierced knee from the inside out. The bleeding stopped instantly, and the pain subsided!
What kind of futuristic technology was this? Could stopping bleeding like this be safe? Wouldn't it affect my blood vessels and nerves?
I looked at the sealed wound in amazement. Edmond released my leg and gently pulled down my pants. "This can only stop the bleeding temporarily. Later, we'll have our ability users heal you."
"Your ability users?" I looked at him in astonishment. He had lifted his face, looking towards the crescent moon in the sky. Suddenly, a point of light descended from above like a star leaving the beautiful moon.
Edmond stood up, gazing in Campbell Russell's direction. The night wind lifted the fine strands of hair on his forehead, and moonlight cast a trace of purple light in his eyes. He suddenly shouted, "Campbell Russell! Get out of there quickly!"
A gust of wind blew towards us, and Campbell Russell had already appeared in front of us. He looked up and saw the approaching lights. Immediately, a massive beam of light descended from the sky, landing directly on the rocky man. "Boom!" A deafening sound echoed, and the entire world was shrouded in dust.The petrified monster... shattered into pieces.The night wind picked up, dispersing the dust, leaving no trace behind.
"You've finally done something," Campbell Russell said indifferently, looking at Edmond. Edmond remained silent. Campbell Russell then turned to me and asked, "How's your injury?"
"The bleeding has been stopped," Edmond replied.
Campbell Russell looked at Edmond again, and they both fell into a silent and quiet state. They bent down simultaneously to help me, as if doing so could ease the awkwardness between them.
Each of them grabbed one of my arms and helped me stand up. Although the bleeding and pain in my right leg had been stopped, I found that I still couldn't use it normally.
I looked to both sides and said, "I remember a saying, 'One stroke sinks the entire ship.' Campbell Russell, perhaps you dislike Silvermoon City, but Edmond is Edmond, and he has been trying his best to help you."
Campbell Russell remained silent, and Edmond didn't speak either. They just quietly supported me together.
People began emerging from the warehouse one by one, in groups of three or four, either standing there in confusion or embracing each other excitedly.
A small, white, disc-shaped spacecraft descended from the sky. Blue light trails flashed on the spacecraft's hull, with a silver crescent moon symbol near the side wing. Below the crescent moon, there was a pattern resembling an oar. The entire symbol looked like a moonlit boat.
The spacecraft hovered in the air, appearing quite small, perhaps only able to accommodate two or three people. The hatch opened, revealing a driver in a silver-gray uniform inside. He nodded towards Edmond. Edmond looked at Campbell Russell and said, "I have to go."
Campbell Russell glanced at him without saying anything. He then looked at the people coming out of the warehouse. Someone ran over, asking, "Chieftain, what about those people?" He pointed to the others, indicating that more than just Campbell Russell's people had been captured, and among them was the girl.
The girl was wearing Campbell Russell's shirt, holding her body tight, with the milk I gave her in her hands. Beside her seemed to be her father, holding her tightly and pleadingly looking at Campbell Russell.
Not only the girl's father but all the people looked at Campbell Russell with pleading eyes. Their lips trembled lightly, not speaking words of supplication, but the helpless expression made one's heart ache. It was as if they dared not express this humble plea, as if they knew that even if they spoke it, it would be refused.
Campbell Russell looked at them for a moment and struggled to frown. "Are you willing to go with me?" When he uttered these words, the fate and lives of these people had already been placed on his shoulders. It was a commitment, and this commitment felt inexplicably heavy.