"A dull thud!"
Lu Ran landed not too softly nor too harshly on the wet grass.
Before he hit the ground, there was indeed a whirlwind that cushioned his fall.
But by that time, Lu Ran was too close to the ground.
The whirlwind only slowed his descent, but it couldn't really stabilize him, and he still landed flat on his back.
"Ugh."
Lu Ran let out a cry of pain, but then forcefully suppressed it.
"Thud!"
Huang Yuyi plummeted rapidly, spreading her legs and stomping heavily on either side of Lu Ran's waist.
Her chest heaved slightly as she stared closely at Lu Ran.
Her murderous aura was so intense that she even seemed three times more ferocious than Yan Zhi!
Lu Ran struggled to raise his palm, shielding his face.
The Paper Mache Man had just died, and here came another Big Nightmare.
He really wasn't being given a chance to live!
Suddenly, Lu Ran felt a chill in the hand he had raised.
Deng Yuxiang, holding a long knife, gently moved aside Lu Ran's palm, her eyes shedding their murderous intent and instead sparkling with interest:
"Little Lu Ran, are you really not afraid?"
Lu Ran: "..."
To say he wasn't afraid would be a lie.
But what he felt more was a retrospective fear, a shudder after the fact.
Now that he thought about it, falling from such a height could have very likely killed him!
But at that moment, when he was being toyed with by the Yan Zhi, he felt humiliated!
All he could think about was how to resist with all his might, he really couldn't afford to consider much else.
"Does it hurt?" Deng Yuxiang leaned down and grabbed Lu Ran's blood-drenched palm.
Lu Ran bit down hard on his teeth and still didn't make a sound.
If it were any other time, he would have already been pulling out a plastic bag.
A real man,
never misses an opportunity to show off!
But right now...
This fucking hurts too much!
"Little Deng!" A man in a black raincoat hurried to Deng Yuxiang's side.
"Captain Sun." Deng Yuxiang stretched out Lu Ran's arm straight and presented it to her teammate.
The arm, oozing with blood and dangling flesh, the wound so deep the bone was visible, was a ghastly sight!
The man in the black raincoat had a green light glowing in his palm and immediately placed it on Lu Ran's arm.
"Is this kid really an Immortal Sheep Believer?"
The man in the black raincoat couldn't help but blurt out a question.
In nearly two decades on the job, he had never seen such a bold lamb!
Ordinary people taken by an Evil Demon would likely have been scared stiff and panic-stricken.
But Lu Ran's performance took the Moon Gazers by complete surprise!
Far from showing weak knees, Lu Ran had managed, at the critical moment, to catch the attention of Yan Zhi, aiding Deng Yuxiang in delivering a fatal blow.
If Yan Zhi hadn't turned her head back at that time, the two sides might have had to fight many more rounds.
In those brief seconds, the young man had shown an extraordinary elegance!
"Yutang told me that you have a unique understanding of the Divine Technique," the Big Nightmare said with interest as she looked at Lu Ran, helping him to distract his attention. "Now, I've seen it.
A mere rookie is capable of influencing an Evil Demon of the River Realm."
Lu Ran finally spoke up, his words tight: "I didn't have the power to change the thoughts of the Yan Zhi; I was just going with the flow."
Big Nightmare slightly raised her eyebrows: "Oh?"
Lu Ran explained: "If someone isn't sleepy, I can't force him to sleep.
Just now, I was merely handing a pillow to someone who was already dozing off."
Deng Yuxiang smiled with confidence in Lu Ran: "The grade of Divine Technique can be raised. Right now, you can only go with the flow, but in the future, it'll be different."
Lu Ran nodded, aware that the higher the grade of Divine Method, the more explosive the effect, naturally!
But if the Sound of Despair was too strong, the consequences seemed severe—cried out loud, he might end up facing the world as an enemy?
Fortunately, believers could adjust the intensity of their Divine Technique when casting it.
If nothing else, Lu Ran still had the Voice of Compassion as his last resort!
At worst, after his taunts, he could cry and beg for mercy.
Ah, it was all just a game~
"All right," the man surnamed Sun said as he put down his bloodied hands.
"All right?" Lu Ran was somewhat astonished.
That was too fast, wasn't it? Had a minute even passed?
Lu Ran looked at his arm, only to find the wound had completely healed, and fresh flesh had grown.
Big Nightmare straightened Lu Ran's arm and, with the rain pouring from the sky, helped him wipe away the blood.
After checking, she asked, "Does anything else feel uncomfortable?"
Lu Ran leveraged himself to his feet and moved his body slightly, feeling a dull ache everywhere, as if his skeletal frame was about to fall apart.
But his pride was tough: "It seems... like there's no serious problem?"
Deng Yuxiang: "After this incident, you can apply for a rest to adjust your condition."
Lu Ran immediately shook his head: "I don't want to rest; I want the points!"
"Heh," Deng Yuxiang chuckled, "You won't score low this time."
Without a doubt, Lu Ran had scored big for himself!
Perhaps his whole team could benefit from it.
The Paper Mache Man just now was clearly a powerful Evil Demon of the River Realm, and Lu Ran, as a hostage, had played a significant role in the battle.
Lu Ran nodded vigorously, his heart still surging with a fighting spirit: "I want to continue the mission!"
"Okay," Deng Yuxiang nodded in approval and waved towards the distance, "Please help out here, send this student back to his post."
Deng Yuxiang belonged to the Divine People Bureau · Moon Gazer Detachment of Yunshan City, and had been dispatched here to quench fires everywhere.
Hearing the instructions from their higher-ups, several warriors from the Rain Alley City · Moon Gazer Detachment stepped forward immediately.
"Thank you, Sister Yuxiang," Lu Ran thanked her quickly and then looked at the man named Sun, "And thank you, uncle."
Sun Zhengfang: "..."
"Heh," Deng Yuxiang snorted.
This young man always had a sweet tongue.
As Lu Ran was taken away by the Moon Gazers, Sun Zhengfang spoke softly: "The Yan Zhi had countless opportunities to kill him."
"Seems like they took a liking to him; they probably intended to capture and torture him slowly," Deng Yuxiang said softly.
It was quite common for Evil Demons to abduct people.
Many Evil Demon species were extremely obsessed with tormenting creatures and weren't in a hurry to kill.
They would slowly torture their prey, savoring their panic and fear, relishing their screams of agony.
Why only "some" Evil Demons?
Because species like the Evil Dog and Blood Disaster Dog, though also feeding on fear, their pitiable intellect wasn't enough to suppress their inner bestiality.
Thus, low-end Evil Demons seldom imprisoned the Human Clan and only engaged in frenzied slaughter.
"I think, the Paper Mache Man race just liked him too much," Sun Zhengfang pondered and continued: "The Paper Mache Man is already rare, but it appeared in the small Rain Alley City and accurately found him.
Moreover, this is likely an Evil Demon of the River Realm Fourth Rank to Fifth Rank.
If her realm were any higher, she would have stepped into the River Realm!
You know, Deng Yu, once there's the appearance of an Evil Demon of the River Realm, it would alarm the powerful beings from our own ranks stationed in the city.
The Paper Mache Man deliberately maintaining this realm means those who come to rescue would be Moon Gazers like us..."
At these words, Deng Yuxiang fell silent.
Could it really have been deliberate?
Had it been someone else who was captured, this conversation might not have occurred.
But just half a month ago, at the God Worship Platform, Lu Ran received an Evil Demon·Yan Zhi.
Sun Zhengfang: "There might really be a problem here."
Deng Yuxiang said: "Whether it's a coincidence or not, we just have to report the facts as they are.
Captain Sun, how about we dispatch more people to support the sports arena and patrol there ourselves?"
"Good," Sun Zhengfang pondered for a moment, then nodded his head.
The two made a clear pairing of a veteran and a novice. But it was evident, despite her recent joining of the force, Deng Yuxiang wielded a certain influence.
In this world, there was an eternal truth—strength prevailed.
Though young, Deng Yuxiang had already reached the level of River Realm· Fifth Rank!
A height many couldn't reach in their lifetimes, an aspiration for others to look up to.
Not to mention, she was the Believer of the Second-class God·North Wind Blade.
Her future was truly "boundless."
And another boundless individual was being rushed back to the sports arena by several Moon Gazers.
Along the way, Lu Ran was asked questions.
He gave a brief explanation of the Divine Technique, the details the same as when he had reported to Instructor Dou Zhiqiang.
Impressed by Lu Ran's answer, everyone couldn't help but marvel.
Along the way, Lu Ran also kept his eyes on one of the men, quietly admiring him.
"What is it?" The Moon Gazer noticed Lu Ran's stare and asked.
"Big brother, thank you for saving me," Lu Ran said, looking at the unharmed man. "You... you didn't get hurt at all?"
During the chase, it was this man who summoned the bone wall, blocking the Paper Mache Man's path.
The Paper Mache Man then pulled out a tiny Paper Mache Man and gripped it in her palm.
As the Paper Mache Man was crushed, the limbs of this man also twisted...
He was almost balled up into a meatball!
"Don't worry." The man appeared nonchalant, "I'm a believer of the Thousand Bone."
As he spoke, the man's head suddenly spun around.
Yes, a full circle!
360 degrees!
"Ah?" Lu Ran jumped in fright.
It was one thing for an Evil Demon to scare me, but you, a Moon Gazer, scare me too?
Just because you're a Thousand Bone believer?
Alright,
that is indeed badass!
Such a skeletal structure, like a set of parts, ready for assembly or disassembly?
"We're almost there," the Moon Gazer squad leader said solemnly, and the team quieted down.
Lu Ran crossed the road with the group, his gaze sweeping over the damaged iron fence, catching sight of Squad 98 engaged in battle!
"Ha!" Deng Yutang's roar could faintly be heard, and dazzling sparks of electricity flickered in the combat zone.
Lu Ran's heart lurched.
"I've got to go." As he spoke, mist gushed from under Lu Ran's feet.
He dashed at extreme speed, like a ghostly shadow!
His battered black raincoat, too, rustled loudly in the pouring rain.
"Crack!"
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning split the night sky, revealing the face of the rain-night phantom and also illuminating the cold Dawn Blade:
"Meh~~~"