"Blood Vine!"
Jia Yunlian whipped her whip, binding two locusts. Sun Xiaoxiao seized the opportunity to release Kong Ning, who didn't hesitate, tearing at the most vulnerable parts of the two locusts—their heads.
On the other side, the locusts in front of the old woman had already been electrocuted into charcoal. She calmly disengaged from the battle.
"Petrifying Eye!"
"Fey Law!"
Duan Chen unleashed two moves in quick succession, also dealing with a locust.
Du Qingyi and Xi'er were not skilled in combat and thus remained outside the fray. Wilburnia, under Xi'er's command, joined the fight.
Her exceptional abilities quickly turned one locust against its own kind.
"They can even control beasts."
Duan Chen marveled at the convenience of her abilities.
"Aegis!"
Ling Yong roared, raising an invisible energy shield and charging into the ground battle. The heavy shield directly smashed into a locust.
"Bang!"
The locust was smashed into the ground. Tuifei Yuan meowed twice and let out another beastly roar.
"Roar—!"
This roar was infinitely majestic and carried the power of sound waves, actually vibrating the locust in the pit to death!
"Ability is... Mimicry?"
Duan Chen's eyes flickered. Mimicry, meaning the ability to imitate various sounds, whether musical instruments or fierce beasts. As long as it had been heard, it could be imitated. If powerful enough, it could directly kill living creatures!
This was a very useful special ability!
"You figured it out?" Tuifei Yuan sounded somewhat displeased.
In this form, he could exert his Mimicry ability to its maximum, which was why Xi'er had transformed him into a cat.
"Yuan Yuan!"
Jun Ci, having mostly recovered, drew his dual light and dark pistols and fired at a locust.
"Got it!"
Yuan Yuan followed closely, his bullets flying out, cleanly killing a locust.
At the forefront, a locust clad in armor and wearing a crown let out an enraged shriek upon seeing its companions fall one after another. Its scorpion tail waved from side to side, charging directly at Duan Chen.
Duan Chen was prepared!
"Death Eye of the Straightforward!"
Everything around instantly froze!
All rounded objects now had edges in Duan Chen's eyes. The locust before him was no exception. Countless black lines appeared on its body. The easiest point of attack was at the joint between its golden armor and its neck.
"What a terrifying pupil technique!"
Du Qingyi swallowed, not daring to look directly at Duan Chen's eyes!
"As expected of the Fool."
Ling Yong wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, sighing.
"Xi'er!"
Duan Chen's eyes flashed. Abandoning the thought of attacking himself, he began to call for the less combat-capable Xi'er.
Hearing this shout, Xi'er did not hesitate. She ran to Duan Chen's side in three quick strides.
The locust's stinger was inches away!
"You can do it, right?"
"Haven't tried, but I should be able to."
Xi'er's six arms spread out, each holding a gleaming scalpel. Her eyes fixed excitedly on the stinger. Seizing the moment, she slashed with all six scalpels simultaneously!
"Clink!"
The stinger fell to the ground, polluting a small patch of earth.
It was poisonous.
Without its stinger, the locust was like a soldier without a gun. A look of terror appeared on its face as it turned to flee.
"Another cut!"
Duan Chen shared what he had just seen, the locust's weakness, with Xi'er through telepathic communication.
"Mhm!"
She lunged forward and delivered another cut!
This cut precisely struck the locust's neck. Its head fell off, rolling to Duan Chen's feet.
It died with its eyes wide open.
The battle ended, and everyone couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Duan Chen did not. He shoved the food prepared by Yuan Qingqing into his mouth and rushed towards the end of the village without stopping.
"Hey! Captain!"
"Stop babbling and follow me!"
"Damn it! There's no way you can abuse your subordinates like this!"
Helplessly, everyone followed behind him.
"What is it?"
Du Qingyi asked as they ran.
"I sensed the aura of an Apostle!"
Dark, turbid.
And that Apostle was someone Duan Chen was familiar with.
Du Qingyi's expression turned serious, and she followed closely.
From a distance, Duan Chen saw Zhao Yuan and Zhao Lang standing side by side at the far end of the village. Opposite them stood a tall man in a cloak. Beside the man was Xiao Fang, dressed in a nurse's uniform.
Gu Sang!
Swiftly stopping!
Duan Chen did not hesitate and moved directly in front of Zhao Yuan and the other.
"Good speed. It seems Abaddon's locusts couldn't stop you, or rather, couldn't stop you all."
Gu Sang looked at the people behind him, his gaze pausing on Tian Qi and the other two.
Duan Chen observed him intently.
Gu Sang remained the same, his demeanor calm and restrained, his figure tall. He wore a mask, and Xiao Fang beside him was like a puppet, her eyes vacant, only showing a slight spark when she saw Tian Qi and the other two, as if seeing acquaintances.
"Actually, I sensed it when you activated the contract. However, you used the power of a god. That piece's power, combined with the contract's power, was indeed something I couldn't match."
Gu Sang admitted frankly.
"God?"
The word, which existed only in myths, caused Jun Ci and the others to pause slightly.
"Let's dispense with the pleasantries."
Duan Chen saw his former friend—no, he could no longer be called a friend. Gu Sang had chosen to abandon everything, including his emotions, for Xiao Fang. Now, he was merely an emotionless killing machine under the evil god.
Moreover, Gao Tian Kai had died by his hand.
Duan Chen could not forgive him.
"I must say, you have quite the methods, drawing away all of me and the people from Section 05, forcing us to act personally. However, it's fortunate. If those three foolish women had come, they probably wouldn't have lasted a day." 138 Reading Network
Gu Sang sneered.
Hearing him call them "foolish women," the expressions of the three women turned grim. At least they had once served Gu Sang sincerely, only to receive such insulting names in the end.
Gu Sang shifted his gaze to Jia Yunlian, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
"Have you made your choice?"
"What choice I make seems to be none of your business."
Jia Yunlian flicked her whip, the crack echoing on the ground.
"If you act like this, Section 05 will be disappointed."
"Are you worthy of him?"
"After all, he is your..."
"Shut up."
Jia Yunlian's voice turned bone-chillingly cold.
"Right and wrong, I will judge for myself. It's not your place, a mere lapdog, to point fingers at me."
She fully embodied the nature of the Thorn Queen. This was the Jia Yunlian Duan Chen knew and was familiar with, fearless in the face of anyone or anything.
"Lapdog?"
Gu Sang murmured to himself.
"Heh..." He actually let out a soft laugh.
Duan Chen immediately raised his hand, and everyone took a ready stance.
He sensed danger from Gu Sang!