After Professor Cao fell to the ground, he managed to flip back up, spat out a mouthful of blood next to him, and sneered at the female boss of Suxin software.
"You wizards, that's all you got? Without a companion's care, you dare to trouble our Antler Witch-Hunting Knight Order alone?"
As he spoke, he tore off his upper vest, and a pair of spikes suddenly protruded from his thick hair. The spikes shot up and quickly branched out, turning into a pair of huge antlers.
These antlers were the color of black ink, as if there were green light spots surging through them.
No, there really were green light spots, which scattered from the antlers, instantly healing the wounds on his body.
The green lights gathered on Professor Cao's body like fireflies, seemingly slow but actually in an instant, they condensed into a huge silhouette of armor.
"Heh~" The female boss sneered, her voice carrying through the mask as some kind of weird electronic modulation, bizarre and penetrating.
"You've been badly hurt, I know it, so stop pretending."
"I may be without companions, but you, you don't have your squad mates right now, nor do you have your Knight's armor..."
"Tsk~"
She took a drag on her cigarette, then raised the cigarette again, its orange glow like a torch in the darkness. "You're going down tonight!"
Professor Cao obviously didn't want to waste words with her. The green light that fell from the antlers converged in his hand into a short blade about one foot long. He gripped it with a backhand sweep and charged straight at the female boss.
His tall figure stepped forward, each step seeming to shake the ground.
The dust on the ground was stirred up, and Professor Cao stepped through it, rising half a meter into the air, before leaping like a tiger down the mountain, wielding his dagger in a dive.
The female boss flicked her cigarette again, and suddenly countless dots of light scattered, swirling within a five-meter radius around her, with a surge of orange flame.
Professor Cao rushed into this orange flame, as if he had plunged into a quagmire; his entire body seemed to freeze, suspended in mid-air in a diving pose.
The female boss held her cigarette aloft, tilting her head indifferently as she watched Professor Cao.
The cigarette was burning fast, nearing its end.
She gently let go of the cigarette in her hand. It didn't fall but seemed to be held up by a field of energy that was at a standoff with Professor Cao.
She sneered, turned gracefully, and walked away. "The leader of the Antler Knight Brigade has died of illness, and his son has no desire to get involved in these matters, he just wants to make money. You're all like loose sand now, wait for it, I will kill you one by one!"
That cigarette end finally burned out, and as the last glimmer of orange light flickered, the cigarette's filter suddenly ignited and exploded once more.
The explosion was as violent as the one that had occurred at the mansion just before.
As the flames burst forth, the female boss of Suxin software walked elegantly toward a small car in the distance, not even bothering to look back.
Lin An watched the scene in shock, turning his head to see the deity statue supporting him, the branch in her hand shaking rapidly, its red leaves flickering like flames.
At that moment, a dull roar resounded.
Gun!
Lin An was so frightened by the sound that he lay flat on the fingers of the deity statue, peering down eagerly, only to see Professor Cao lying on the concrete, holding a handgun in his hand.
The muzzle was aimed at the direction of the female boss of Suxin software, who was almost carried away by the bullet, crashing hard into a community bulletin board.
Thud~
She too spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, looking down dumbfoundedly at the huge hole that appeared in her abdomen.
The damage from large-caliber firearms is nothing like in TV dramas – usually, a bullet would leave a huge hole where it hit.
Yet even so, the female boss was still alive; she just looked up incredulously at Mr. Cao.
"Hahaha..." Mr. Cao blew on the gun's muzzle and looked smugly at the female boss, "See, this thing is much more useful than magic!"
"That's witchcraft, not some kind of magic!" The female boss screamed in rage, seeing Mr. Cao aiming at her again, she quickly twisted her body and vanished in a flash of fire.
"Ptui~"
Mr. Cao spat another mouthful of blood on the ground. He staggered to his feet and looked wobbly in the direction the female boss had disappeared, cursing vehemently, "If it weren't for the collapse of the Antler Witch Hunter Knights, you a mere witch wouldn't dare show up in front of me! Damn it!"
Cursing, he stumbled a few steps, coughed up another mouthful of blood, and suddenly looked towards the street corner, "Who?!"
Lin An swallowed and, seeing Mr. Cao raise the pistol again, quickly raised his hands and shouted, "It's me, Professor Cao, I, An, I... I didn't understand something from today's lecture and wanted to ask you a question."
Just moments ago, when the female boss of Suxin Software was shot, the statue holding Lin An in midair had suddenly exploded in the belly at the same time.
Countless dark golden blood drenched Lin An completely.
The blood was especially terrifying; even a slight touch caused a stinging pain so intense that Lin An screamed on the spot.
It was also precisely the pair of giant hands that again tore through the spatial rift, preventing Lin An's screams from being heard.
The pain came and went quickly, leaving Lin An feeling icy cold and particularly uncomfortable.
As for the red leaf gifted by the statue, it had already melted away in the dark golden blood.
The statue gently placed Lin An on the ground and gave him a deep look, then the pair of giant hands closed up the rift in space.
"Oh."
Professor Cao's hand flipped, and the pistol was no longer to be seen.
He just cursed under his breath, "You youngsters, none of you sleep in the middle of the night, you think everyone is a night owl like you."
Saying this, he rubbed his chest, gasping with discomfort, "Got your phone? Help me call the fire department."
Flames engulfed the villa, causing Mr. Cao to feel heartache, "Aiyo, how much is it going to cost to redecorate!"
Lin An really didn't bring his phone; in the middle of the night, who would stuff their phone in their pocket while sleeping?
First, he helped Professor Cao sit down by the flower bed, then he ran to knock on the neighbor's door, asking for help to make the call.
The residents in this villa area were all wealthy people and were not afraid to help; they generously opened the door and made the call for Lin An.
After some thought, Lin An borrowed their phone to make a call to Mr. Cao.
Only then did he return to the flower bed, cautiously looking at Professor Cao, "Do you want me to call the hospital? You don't look very good."
Professor Cao surveyed Lin An with a deep gaze and eventually just laughed and scolded, "I'm fine, I ran out when the house caught fire. It must have been some old wiring, that's what caused the fire."
"Yes, yes..." Lin An muttered, turning his head to stare blankly at the villa's blaze.
The events of this evening had completely overturned the world view he had built over more than twenty years.
Witch-hunting Knight?
Wizard?
Magic? Oh, the female boss of Suxin Software said it was witchcraft.
So...
He could see those abnormal phenomena, so it wasn't just him being sick and having delusions, it was indeed some kind of transcendent force?
In an instant, all of this set his mind adrift.
He looked down at his hands, which still appeared utterly ordinary, but he clearly remembered that just a moment ago, the statue's blood had nearly soaked his entire body.
All absorbed?
Would there be any effects?
He didn't know, it was all so strange, so abrupt.
This was transcendent power after all; he was really too curious.
Perhaps...
His mind involuntarily went back to the antlers that had suddenly appeared on Professor Cao's head.
"The Eight Animal Plays", Deer Play, Antler Witch-Hunting Knight Order, Antler Game Software Development Company...
All of this seemed to contain some kind of connection.
The firelight reflected in his eyes, dancing, flickering.