Chapter 388
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Chapter 388: The Wrong Prey
Gusu City.
In the center of the mist.
The Southern Gate.
This magnificent structure, resembling a pair of autumn pants and towering above the clouds, is one of the landmarks of Gusu City. At the top of this gate-like building, two figures stand under the night sky, quietly observing the city shrouded in fog below.
The evening breeze brushes against the woman’s black, curly long hair, revealing a bewitching and enchanting face. Her pair of eerie vertical pupils resemble those of a snake, gazing ahead with a smile that is neither a smile nor a frown.
If Lin Qiye were here, he would instantly recognize this alluring woman with a twisted aura. Last year, just before the New Year, the two had a fierce battle on an old street, and it was only due to the intervention of the believer Han Shaoyun that she managed to escape.
She is the evil god of the Ancient God Church, the agent of Medusa, code-named “Snake Woman.” “It seems the prey has arrived,” she said, tucking a strand of black hair behind her ear, her voice languid.
Beside her, a man cloaked in a black coat, tall and imposing like an iron tower, frowned slightly. “No… it’s not the Phoenix team that’s coming.”
The Snake Woman was taken aback, her long eyebrows knitting together. “Wasn’t it said that when encountering foreign mysteries, it would definitely be the Phoenix team handling it?” “That is indeed the case,” the tower-like man replied slowly, “but it is certain that the Phoenix team wouldn’t parachute down from a plane… that’s too low-level.”
The Snake Woman hesitated for a moment. “Could it be another special team?” “Impossible,” the man asserted. “Currently, the only special teams active in the outside world are the Mediums, the Phoenix, and the Masquerade. The Mediums always operate from the Thunder God Pillar, the Phoenix rides on a phoenix, and the Masquerade floats directly in the air… they could never use such primitive methods to land.”
The Snake Woman’s snake-like eyes swept over the three black boxes beside her, a look of regret appearing in her eyes. “The captain of the Phoenix team, Xia Simeng, is our main target for this operation. If she doesn’t come… then our three specially prepared forbidden items for her, along with the hard-to-catch Bel Kland, would all be for nothing, right?”
The man hesitated for a moment. “Let’s wait and see. Although it’s not a special team, since they were sent by the higher-ups of the Night Watch to deal with Bel Kland, they shouldn’t be nameless. Since we’ve given up on Bel Kland, we should at least gain something in return.”
The Snake Woman’s gaze fell into the depths of the purple mist as she licked her lips. “Should I go meet them?” “Not yet,” the man said calmly. “Let’s wait for that group of useless pawns to probe the situation first.”
…
On the empty, deserted street, Lin Qiye, wearing a Sun Wukong mask, and An Qingyu, wearing a Tang Seng mask, were silently walking forward.
The dim streetlights cast shadows along the quiet roadside, stretching and slowly shortening the shadows of the two.
Even though the entire center of Gusu City was enveloped in fog, the power supply was still functioning normally. The neon lights on the distant Southern Gate flickered continuously, repeatedly forming the words “I Gusu.”
An Qingyu walked by the lakeside, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled. “What’s wrong?” Lin Qiye turned to ask.
An Qingyu shook her head. “It’s nothing. I just haven’t walked in a city like this for a long time. From the sewers of Cangnan to the fasting center, then to the primeval forest… suddenly returning to normal human society feels quite nice.”
Lin Qiye was slightly taken aback and smiled bitterly. “It’s a pity that if it weren’t for the mission, I could wander around this city more. When I was in Cangnan, I often heard my aunt talk about how great Gusu is and that she wanted me to come here for university…”
He raised his head, looking at the calm lake surface, murmuring to himself, “Now, there’s no chance to go to university, and the person who wanted me to go… is no longer here.”
An Qingyu looked at him for a moment. “I always feel that when the two of us walk together, the atmosphere starts to become melancholic.” An Qingyu also smiled bitterly. “I’m used to that Fatty Bai Li being around to liven things up; it’s a bit uncomfortable suddenly being so quiet.” “That’s true,” Lin Qiye chuckled. “It’s quite hard to be with a group of people all day without talking. Having a not-so-bright clown around is also nice.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Qiye seemed to sense something and suddenly stopped.
An Qingyu halted as well, frowning slightly. “What’s wrong?”
Lin Qiye frowned as he looked ahead. At the end of the dimly lit road, dozens of figures were holding hands, silently walking forward from the darkness, their eyes vacant, their steps eerily synchronized, their bodies incredibly stiff.
They resembled a moving wall of people, with those at both ends pressing against the walls as they moved forward, dozens of people shoulder to shoulder, with not a single gap in between, completely blocking the entire road. “Residents affected by mental pollution?” An Qingyu observed the scene before her, her expression tightening. “They must be here to hold us back… Strange, why didn’t they directly send Team 017 to kill us?” “I don’t know,” Lin Qiye shook his head, his gaze falling on the office buildings and shops on either side. “But it seems we are already surrounded.”
One after another, zombie-like figures emerged from the windows on both sides, their hollow eyes staring at the two in the center of the road, while a large number of people queued down the stairs, surging toward the street like a tide.
An Qingyu looked back and saw that on the street they had come from, there were also dozens of people holding hands, shoulder to shoulder, slowly moving toward them like a human wall.
Hundreds, even thousands, of mentally polluted citizens surrounded the entire street, making it impossible to escape. “At this level, they shouldn’t be able to trap you, right?” Lin Qiye turned to An Qingyu.
She nodded. “I’m fine.”
Lin Qiye responded with an “mm,” his fingertips gently pressing on the handle of the black box, and a straight knife sprang out from beside the box, shrouded in darkness, hovering in the air, automatically unsheathing…
Clang—! “Look at that tall building in the southeast,” Lin Qiye said calmly.
In the next moment, the straight knife hovering beside him whistled out, flying straight toward the skyscraper standing in the darkness, a magical glow enveloping Lin Qiye’s figure, and in an instant, he vanished.
An Qingyu sighed deeply, a hint of envy in her voice. “What a convenient ability…”
With a sudden burst of strength, he leaped to an astonishing height from the road, then gracefully landed on the vertical surface of the building, his limbs adhering to it.
An invisible thread shot from his palm, piercing into the wall of the opposite building, and then, like Spider-Man, he effortlessly swung over the encircling crowd below, disappearing into the night.
