Zhong Xingwen, perched on the rooftop, watched the scene unfold with a darkened expression. He had never heard of Duan Chen possessing summoning abilities, and here he was, entering the fray alone, only for a beautiful woman to suddenly appear.
He glanced at Li Wei, submerged in the water缸. The water had already risen to her thighs, and her brows were furrowed, as if she was about to awaken.
"Newcomer, go deal with him," Zhong Xingwen commanded a shadow behind him.
"Hehehe, uncle, I don't think I'm your subordinate, nor do I need to obey your orders~" The shadow's voice was playful, as if they were merely there to spectate.
"Tch, don't forget, it's thanks to Lord Ye Yan that I gave you a large sum of money. If you stand by and do nothing, I can reclaim that money at any time, and you'll be back to your penniless existence!" Zhong Xingwen said coldly.
The shadow clicked its tongue twice and turned to walk downstairs. "You're right, I do have to consider the money… However, I was also thinking of going to meet him. It feels like it would be fun."
...
Duan Chen moved like lightning, weaving through the ruins of concrete and steel. Suddenly, he stopped, signaling Hong Ying to be on guard. Behind a three-meter-tall shelf, a thick, dusty burlap cloth twitched almost imperceptibly.
Duan Chen drew his gun and fired, the bullet slicing through the air, leaving a trail of searing smoke.
*Bang!*
A hit! Immediately after—
A face as terrifying as a demon's emerged from behind the coarse cloth. Its powerful arms tore through the thick curtain, and a bullet was caught between its sharp teeth.
*Pfft!*
It grinned sinisterly, spitting the bullet onto the ground, and stared at Duan Chen with defiance. Hong Ying, sensing its menacing aura, instinctively recoiled.
"Husband, it's a demon."
*Click-clack—!*
The monster's jagged fangs gnashed together, emitting strange, grating guttural sounds: "Good, friend, good friend!"
Duan Chen leaped back, creating distance, and simultaneously unleashed a barrage of gunfire. In an instant, the whistling bullets pierced the monster's fur, and it began to move with incredible speed.
Side walls, ceilings, high shelves, steel pipes, abandoned lamps... It was too fast! The monster flipped and leaped, its Z-shaped movements bringing it before Duan Chen in the blink of an eye. The Soul-Reaping Iron Claws loomed larger and larger, accompanied by the monster's grotesque, exaggerated grin.
"Husband, danger!" Hong Ying's pupils contracted, but her body couldn't keep up with the monster's speed!
Duan Chen's pupils dilated. Twisting his waist, he dodged to the side.
*Boom!!*
The iron claws plunged into the wall behind him with effortless force, creating a large hole. Plaster and fragments of concrete and red brick rained down. Duan Chen's eyes sharpened, adrenaline surging.
*Slaash!* His black gun transformed into a blade and slashed upward. Long tufts of fur rained down like snow. The monster was cleaved diagonally in two, but to his horror, the sensation was nothing like cutting flesh. Duan Chen dared not hesitate and rolled aside.
Hong Ying seized the moment and unleashed flames. The Crimson Lotus Karmic Fire enveloped the monster, yet it seemed unaffected, unhurt by the flames. Its severed body quickly reconnected and healed! Amidst the burning inferno, the monster grinned wickedly, its twisted face like a demon's. Its long tongue flickered, dripping slime onto the ground.
"Husband, this level of fire is useless against it. If only I could unlock more of my binding power..." Hong Ying's beautiful face was filled with frustration. The Phoenix Hairpin's favorability was only at Lv2/10, preventing her from unleashing half her strength.
Duan Chen raised his gun, and a sacred white spiritual bullet shot out, creating ripples of energy. The monster contorted its body to evade, its form seemingly boneless as it adopted an impossible posture! Splintered fragments of its pale yellow body flew outwards, its left side shattering like a water balloon.
*Click-clack—!* Its teeth chattered, emitting a muffled, angry growl: "Good friend, good friend!!!!"
Duan Chen didn't give it time to recover and fired another spiritual bullet at its head. "I don't have a friend like you."
Realizing it couldn't dodge, it raised its hands to protect the smiling hair clip on its head.
*Boom!* The spiritual bullet penetrated the monster's head. Amidst the exploding liquid, Duan Chen saw a familiar face emerge from behind the shelves. A face with bouncy short hair, radiating youthful vitality—Sun Xiaoxiao.
His pupils widened slightly, and Duan Chen felt time stand still. A sinister, almost pathological smile played on her lips, and within her eyes, a blooming black tree faintly displayed the black number [3].
"Oh my, Brother Duan Chen, long time no see~" the girl greeted him in a cheerful, bouncy voice. In her slender hand, she clutched a freshly bleeding heart. As she spoke, the destroyed monster reconnected and fused before his eyes, returning to its original state.
Duan Chen understood. This was not a true monster, but Sun Xiaoxiao's [summoned beast]. Normally, such beings, whose own strength was not great and relied entirely on summoned beasts, were considered indestructible as long as the summoner lived and their spiritual energy was replenished. However, those were S-class or higher summoned beasts, and even Hong Ying needed to continuously increase their favorability to approach such a level. Sun Xiaoxiao, who was just an ordinary girl a few days ago, how could she have suddenly become so powerful after awakening her ability? The number [3] blooming in her eyes was the same as what he saw in Teacher Liu's eyes at school! If Wu Suowei wasn't delusional, then was this the work of an evil god?
Just as the tension mounted, Sun Xiaoxiao's phone suddenly rang. The girl answered it nonchalantly.
"Hello, Daddy~ I was very good today. I completed the task assigned by Lord Ye Yan."
"Mhm, it's a fresh heart. This is an abandoned factory, and those who died were all social outcasts. No one will ever find out about them. Even the Spirit Hunter Agents won't be so sharp, so don't worry."
"Ah, is that so? Okay, I actually wanted to play a little longer. After all, Uncle Zhong is quite interesting here."
Sun Xiaoxiao hung up the phone, looking at Duan Chen with disappointment.
"Ning Ning, come back. We won't play with Brother Duan Chen today. Lord Ye Yan's mission is complete, and it's time to go home for dinner~ We can't keep Mommy and Daddy waiting."
"We are obedient good children~"
*Click-clack!* The monster nodded obediently and nestled contentedly beside Sun Xiaoxiao.
"Brother Duan Chen, let's play again next time~" Sun Xiaoxiao waved goodbye, still holding dozens of hearts, a sweet smile on her face.
Ye Yan? Duan Chen remembered the strange man who had tempted him in the mirror-like alternate dimension. So, he had indeed targeted Sun Xiaoxiao. The abandoned factory was indeed a blind spot. It was a place where vagrants occasionally gathered, and the hearts in her hand would likely be difficult to trace. But if sea monsters consumed these hearts and mingled among humans, wouldn't it be even harder to track them?
"Did I say you could leave?" Duan Chen snorted, aiming his dark gun at the girl.
"Hehehe, are you going to kill me?" The girl stopped Ning Ning from pouncing and looked at Duan Chen with her unnervingly sweet smile, a strange flush appearing on her cheeks.