Duan Chen and Yuan Qingqing had already witnessed Hill's "rendezvous" multiple times, so they were unfazed. However, You Jiawei and Qi Hang were different; they were completely stunned, frozen in place and afraid to move.
Seizing the opportunity, Duan Chen used his Swift Step to rapidly approach Qi Hang. By the time Qi Hang reacted, it was too late.
"Thousand Illusions Pandora - [Blade] Form!"
"Damn it!"
Qi Hang tried to dodge, but Duan Chen's angle was too tricky, making the strike unavoidable.
He was a ruthless individual himself. Seeing he couldn't escape, he raised his left arm to block the attack head-on.
"Screech!"
Blood splattered. Qi Hang unleashed a punch!
"Die!"
"Petrifying Eye!"
"Crack!"
Duan Chen retreated as he created an opening.
"Thousand Illusions Pandora - [Spear] Form!"
"Bang! Bang!"
The Petrifying Eye consumed too much spiritual energy, so Duan Chen could only maintain it for a moment. Unfortunately for him, Qi Hang reacted too quickly, barely dodging the two shots, and rolled on the ground, looking somewhat disheveled.
"As expected of you! A high-level agent from the Sucheng Branch!"
If he couldn't defeat them, he would sow discord.
Upon hearing this, You Jiawei's steps faltered.
Was Duan Chen a high-level agent from Sucheng? Then why did he conceal his identity to register a mercenary group in Bingcheng?
They both belonged to the Spirit Hunter Guild, so You Jiawei shouldn't have harbored any doubts. However, Duan Chen had hidden so much, and with Qi Hang as a precedent, she worried he had ulterior motives.
"We'll explain back there. Rest assured, we have no ill intentions towards the Spirit Hunter Guild!"
"We should deal with Qi Hang first and get out of this aerial zone!" Yuan Qingqing chimed in.
"I'll trust you this once!"
You Jiawei let out a cold snort and channeled her spiritual energy, striking Qi Hang's jaw from a distance.
"Pfft—You stupid woman, You Jiawei! I was beneath your feet three years ago, and I refuse to believe I still can't beat you three years later!"
Qi Hang's eyes turned red. He stumbled back a few steps and merged into the viscous wall behind him.
"What was he saying?" Duan Chen asked as he retreated.
You Jiawei warily increased the distance between them. Duan Chen could only offer a wry smile and explain, "A difficult matter. Please trust us this once."
"Everything is for the mission," Yuan Qingqing said, relaying Duan Chen's telepathic message and following his instructions.
You Jiawei suddenly understood. If it was for the mission, then everything made sense.
Perhaps his fake identity was also for the mission. She found a suitable excuse for Duan Chen and his companions.
You Jiawei cleared her throat.
"Three years ago, I was in charge of Qi Hang and the other newcomers. To temper them, I indeed suppressed their spirits quite a bit."
Duan Chen merely scoffed at this.
"Newcomers go through this. Everyone endured their share of trials. If one holds a grudge for three years over minor grievances, then he was probably not suited to be a Spirit Hunter Guild agent in the first place."
A figure slowly emerged from the viscous wall. No, he could no longer be called human.
Qi Hang was completely encased in a viscous substance, like a mud man. Every step he took left a deep imprint on the ground.
"Roar… Gurgle…"
He uttered unintelligible sounds from his throat, a mixture of roars and pained groans.
"Eerie!"
Duan Chen realized the green slime was not just slime; it was liquid eeriness!
"There are eerie beings of this form?"
"Eerie beings are ever-changing. Let's not let our guard down."
"Die—!"
Qi Hang swung his arms and charged.
"Bang!"
Duan Chen fired a probing shot, but the bullet was swallowed by the slime. Qi Hang suffered no damage.
You Jiawei's spiritual energy was nearly depleted, while Yuan Qingqing and Hill had little combat ability. Meanwhile, Jun Ci and Qin Nanyuan were facing unknown enemies...
Duan Chen took a deep breath. There was no other way. He had to allocate one-third of his spiritual energy to the next move.
"Death-Seeking God Eyes!"
A drastic change occurred in Duan Chen's eyes.
Even Qi Hang, transformed into a slime person, sensed something was wrong and retreated several steps.
Duan Chen saw dozens of lines on Qi Hang, as if his life could be ended with a mere stroke.
Duan Chen struggled to control this intoxicating power.
"You—" You Jiawei sensed an immense pressure emanating from his eyes.
"Interesting."
Hill's gaze on Duan Chen intensified, as if he wanted to dissect him for experimentation right then and there.
"Roar!"
Qi Hang steadied himself and punched forward!
"Bang!"
"Failing to give the protagonist a chance to unleash their ultimate move is the mark of a bad NPC."
Duan Chen gave a wicked, rogueish grin.
"Sequence 033: Shadow Clone Technique!"
Another Duan Chen appeared behind Qi Hang, holding Thousand Illusions Pandora.
He aimed at the back of Qi Hang's neck, his gaze sharp.
Simultaneously, Duan Chen's main body used Swift Step to evade Qi Hang's punch. Even with Wang Qi's assistance, his spiritual energy was almost depleted.
The Death-Seeking God Eyes already consumed spiritual energy, let alone the fact that he had been constantly using his ocular techniques and Thousand Illusions Pandora from the start. Anyone else would have collapsed long ago.
"Thousand Illusions Pandora - [Blade] Form!"
The Duan Chen behind Qi Hang swiftly drew his blade and made a light cut at the back of Qi Hang's neck.
Yes, just one cut.
The slime on Qi Hang instantly turned to dust, falling to the ground. He looked as if he had been dried out, and Qi Hang, now free from the slime's embrace, stared at Duan Chen with terror in his eyes.
"Impossible! How can you possess such immense power!"
"You can ask the King of Hell about that after you're dead!"
The moment Qi Hang was enveloped by the eerie slime, he had ceased to be human and had completely transformed into a sea monster. Duan Chen had no intention of holding back.
His first move was a killing blow!
"Screech!"
Green blood splattered. The shadow clone dissipated, and Qi Hang's corpse fell stiffly to the ground.
The viscous wall also disintegrated the moment Qi Hang perished, turning into dust that rained down sparsely.
"Captain."
Duan Chen did not accept the rice bowl Yuan Qingqing offered.
His gaze remained fixed on the opposite side.
At the other end of the corridor, Deng Lin and Ding Jie, lacking firearms, were huddled fearfully in a corner, clinging to each other. Le Wu's gun was being stepped on by the woman opposite him, and he lay on the ground, covered in wounds, already unconscious.
Jun Ci also bore numerous bloodstains. He gritted his teeth and fired two shots, but the bullets were all deflected by the blood whips around the woman, rendering them completely ineffective.
Qin Nanyuan, standing behind Jun Ci, was recovering her spiritual energy. The luster of her fiery red hair had noticeably dimmed.
Upon seeing Duan Chen, Jun Ci cried out excitedly, "Captain!"
Qin Nanyuan also breathed a sigh of relief.
But Duan Chen ignored them, his gaze locked onto the woman's retreating figure.
That figure was all too familiar to him.
Hearing Jun Ci's excited voice, the woman turned around. She wore a black tight leather dress, high-heeled thigh-high boots, and wielded a leather whip. She was sexy and alluring.
Upon seeing Duan Chen, the woman smiled faintly.
"Brother Duan Chen, long time no see."