The little duck grew immensely large and charged towards Hong Ying, exploding upon impact. Hong Ying ignored the fireworks of the explosion and retaliated with a fiery blast towards the duck, instantly turning it into roast duck.
But there was no time to celebrate, as the boy conjured three more ducks in his hand.
These ducks could seemingly be recycled; even if they self-destructed and died, they would respawn in the boy's hands.
Duan Chen's scalp tingled. How could he possibly fight this?
"Aren't my ducks adorable?" The little boy approached step by step, counting the ducks in his arms. "Polly, Holly, Molly... Wait a minute! Where did Dylan go?!"
The nurses' hearts sank, and they immediately looked around.
The little boy suddenly flashed a sinister smile.
"Ta-daaa—Dylan is behind you."
"Quack!!"
The sound of a giant yellow duck emanated from behind them.
When did it get there?!
*Boom—!*
Duan Chen activated his shield to defend, but he suddenly realized this meant his back was exposed to the boy.
As expected, with a triumphant grin from the boy, two more duck bombs waddled over.
"Quick! Help me out!"
Tian Qi, grabbing the fallen fatty, tried to hoist him up to block the bombs.
But the fatty weighed over 200 pounds, and the slender Tian Qi couldn't lift him. The fatty cursed and kicked Tian Qi in the stomach. "Get lost, you bitch! Still trying to set me up? Die!"
Tian Qi screamed as she was kicked towards the ducks, her eyes filled with terror as she collided with them.
*Boom, boom—!*
Explosions erupted.
Tian Qi lay on the ground, her clothes tattered, blackened, and still burning.
The nurses cried out in shock, some weeping, others screaming.
Duan Chen's face darkened, and he punched the fatty hard in the face. "You used a woman as a shield, that's murder!"
"Tch!" The fatty spat out a mouthful of blood, squinting defiantly. "That's self-defense. Besides, sacrificing one woman to save so many of us, you should be grateful."
"What did you say! You fat pig!" Xiao Lian grabbed the fatty's collar, her eyes turning bloodshot.
The fatty leered, his gaze fixated on the severely injured Tian Qi.
"Tsk tsk tsk... a withered, broken beauty. Ah, it's so captivating~ I want to pin her down right now~ and ravage her, hahaha~"
Xiao Lian's pupils trembled. Tian Qi was in critical condition, and he was still thinking about such things, wearing such a disgusting smile!
"Ahhh!" She aimed the rocket launcher at the fatty, her finger trembling violently on the trigger.
"Xiao Lian!" her companions sobbed nearby.
They wanted to check on Tian Qi's injuries, but the little boy was right in front of them, and no one dared to move closer.
"Hey, do you even know who the enemy is right now?" The fatty remained unfazed, gently pushing away Xiao Lian's rocket launcher with his bandaged hand.
"It's fine, I don't mind if you sort things out internally, hahaha, it'll be quite a show to watch, hahaha, so exciting."
The little boy looked innocent and naive, clapping his hands.
The fatty's expression shifted slightly upon hearing this.
*Bang!*
Duan Chen suddenly fired a shot, startling the fatty, who flinched in fear. After a two-second pause, he realized he hadn't been hit.
The boy, distracted by the commotion, was momentarily vulnerable. Just as he seemed defenseless, a duck suddenly leaped up and accurately caught the bullet.
"Tch, quite agile," Duan Chen squinted and clicked his tongue. "...Catching bullets with its bare hands, interesting."
Although the fatty was disgusting, he was right about one thing: the most important target right now was the merman boy.
His duck bombs were already elusive, and if he got distracted by the fatty, he might be exploited.
This was something Duan Chen absolutely refused to let happen, so he had attempted a surprise attack amidst the chaos, but it had unfortunately failed.
Since the sneak attack didn't work, he would confront him head-on!
A hail of bullets rained down, but the boy dodged none of them, maintaining his playful grin. Four ducks hopped in front of him, one falling only for another to take its place, and then new ducks would appear.
No matter how many of the ducks around the boy were destroyed, there were always four. Their perfect ability to catch bullets made Duan Chen's head ache.
Duan Chen's expression turned grim. He tried to activate his ocular abilities, but as soon as he channeled his spiritual energy, his mind buzzed, as if a restriction had been placed upon it. The spiritual energy was repelled!
What was happening?!
Duan Chen was startled.
He clearly remembered the doctor telling him that his injuries were not severe, just a mild concussion from the explosion, which might cause headaches and hallucinations. But he never mentioned anything about his spiritual energy being blocked!
This was a situation he had never encountered before.
Gao Tian Kai had also been present then, and he had specifically asked the doctor if it would affect his abilities. The doctor had said it was highly unlikely.
How could it suddenly...
Could it be related to that voice in his dream? If Night Terrors' abilities interfered through dreams, perhaps...
*Bang!*
A bomb exploded near his ear. Duan Chen had no time to ponder further and refocused his attention on the merman boy.
"You're a good shot, but ordinary people can't penetrate Polly, Holly, Molly, and... Good heavens! Where did Dylan go again!"
Everyone instinctively looked, and indeed, one of the four ducks had vanished into thin air.
A sense of danger made Duan Chen roll to the side abruptly.
As expected, the giant yellow duck flapped its wings and waddled out from the shadows in the corner.
*Boom!*
The bomb exploded right beside Duan Chen, causing severe pain in his internal organs and minor burns to his skin. Brushing the dust off his body, blood trickled down his forehead. Duan Chen lit a cigarette, his eyes growing fierce.
During the Spirit Hunter Guild assessment, there had been a similar exercise: to overcome the opponent without using abilities. For excellent agents, abilities were a bonus, not a necessity!
Duan Chen gave Xiao Lian a look, and she immediately understood, delivering a forceful kick to the fatty's groin.
"Oooohhh!!!" The fatty yelped in pain.
The boy was indeed drawn by the sound. Xiao Lian pulled the trigger on the boy, and the rocket launcher spewed flames, but it was completely blocked by a fat duck.
The next second, amidst the dissipating smoke, Duan Chen's spectral figure appeared behind the boy. His eyes were icy, and his muscles unleashed their maximum power.
A flash of cold light, and the blade swung towards the boy's head.
The boy's eyes widened in terror. The four ducks scrambled to block, and were sliced in half. However, this bought the boy enough time to escape.
Green blood gushed from his neck. The boy clutched the wound and roared in fury.
"You! How dare you injure me!"
Duan Chen, with a cigarette in his mouth, chuckled, "If I were in my normal state, you would be dead by that strike."
"Hmph! A nobody without even spiritual energy, bragging here. Are all adults this shameless?" the boy glared at him fiercely.
Suddenly, Hong Ying looked sharply towards the other end of the corridor, her body trembling uncontrollably.
"Husband, danger!"
Duan Chen followed Hong Ying's pointed finger. A cleaner in a white coat was slowly pushing a cleaning cart.
Although the person wore a large mask, the black-rimmed glasses were striking. Duan Chen recognized him instantly and his eyes gleamed with relief.
"Hey, we meet again, Duan Chen."
"You scoundrel, you're finally here." Duan Chen breathed a sigh of relief.