The burly man opened his mouth as if to roar a curse, but before any sound could escape, life abandoned him first. Zhang Yuanqing inspected him several times, and only after confirming he was completely dead did he turn his head toward his aunt.
Jiang Yu'er was utterly dumbfounded, her mouth hanging open wide enough to fit an egg as she stared at her nephew in disbelief.
*I like this expression.* Zhang Yuanqing lowered his gaze, glanced at the middle-aged female doctor trembling under the desk, and delivered a knife-hand chop to knock her out cold.
With a muffled groan, the female doctor slumped sideways onto the floor.
Zhang Yuanqing lowered his hand. Instinctively, he felt doing that was a bit too aggressive and impolite, but then again it seemed completely normal, so he didn't dwell on it and looked toward his aunt.
"Y-Yuanzi..." his aunt stammered, her watery, beautiful eyes brimming with shock and confusion, seemingly unable to process how her nephew had suddenly appeared here.
Yet mixed within that shock and confusion was also the sheer joy of the person she trusted most falling from the sky right when she needed rescuing the most.
"Auntie, are you alright?"
Jiang Yu'er burst into tears with a "wah." Like a swallow diving into the forest, she threw herself into her nephew's arms, sobbing softly.
Zhang Yuanqing stroked his aunt's back and comforted her in a low voice: "Now isn't the time to explain. Stay put here while I go deal with those thugs. If you have questions, come to my room tonight and we'll talk then."
The thugs had made such a massive scene that every survivor would have to sign a nondisclosure agreement later. Moreover, his aunt had personally witnessed the Fire Master's supernatural display and his own sudden appearance, meaning the existence of "superpowers" could no longer be hidden from her.
Besides, he had rushed over without disguising his face. Since the Spirit Realm had no obliteration mechanism anyway, he simply chose to expose his identity to her.
In Zhang Yuanqing's view, there was no need to hide things when saving family. He hadn't revealed it before only because he didn't want to disrupt his family's peaceful life. Now that she was already swept up into a Spirit Realm walker incident, he would let nature take its course.
"Don't go..." Jiang Yu'er hugged her nephew's waist tightly, terror in her voice. "They have guns."
Zhang Yuanqing was unaccustomed to such intimate contact. He gently pushed her away and said softly, "There are bombs downstairs. If we don't take them down, everyone in the hospital will die. Trust me."
He put on a solemn expression, then saw his aunt sniffle and nod obediently. Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself: *Looks like I've developed the mature aura of a leader capable of holding down the fort. Even my aunt is subdued by my domineering aura.*
He gestured for his aunt to sit on the chair, then contemplated his next move, swiftly analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of both sides.
Li Xianzong's disadvantage was time. He wouldn't dare linger in the hospital for long; once the Deacons or even Elders from other districts arrived, he would be doomed.
Therefore, this Bewitching Demon's idea had to be forcing Yuanshi Tianzun into the hospital within the shortest time possible, then detonating the bombs.
The bombs were the thugs' advantage. Once detonated, the casualties would be catastrophic—front-page news.
Every official walker in Kangyang District would face disciplinary punishment.
Hence, the most critical step was resolving the bomb threat.
*The bomb detonator definitely isn't in Li Xianzong's hands. He dared to stage this terrorist attack by exploiting the suicidal zeal of Deceitful Eye Judge's 'thralls.' It's a suicide attack, but Li Xianzong himself won't commit suicide. In a person like that, how could ordinary lives ever compare to his own?*
*There are five thugs left. I can't take out that many Spirit Realm walkers in a short time. Pinpointing the detonators is the key.*
Zhang Yuanqing's train of thought was crystal clear. He quickly formed a plan: take out the thugs holding the bomb controllers first, neutralize the explosives, and then proceed step by step.
And how to pinpoint the bomb detonators? Zhang Yuanqing intended to use spirit questioning to seek clues from this Fire Master.
No sooner thought than done. Darkness welled in the depths of Zhang Yuanqing's eyes as he communicated with the spirit lingering within the corpse, summoned it forth, and swallowed it in one gulp.
Jiang Yu'er's eyes went wide. With slightly red rims around her eyes, she looked completely bewildered—like a little girl who couldn't make sense of the situation but didn't dare ask.
A dozen seconds later, Zhang Yuanqing opened his eyes, his expression grim.
There were two bomb locations, one on the first floor and one on the second. The detonator for the first-floor bomb was held by a thug on the second floor, while the controller for the second-floor bomb was held by a thug on the first floor.
In other words, he had to take down both thugs holding controllers simultaneously.
*I can't kill the thugs on both the first and second floors at the same time by myself. Ask Teng Yuan for help? No, the moment he enters the hospital lobby, the bombs will go off immediately...*
Zhang Yuanqing took out his phone, quickly typed a message, and sent it to Li Dongze.
Then, he looked at his aunt and said softly, "Hide here and don't go outside under any circumstances. If an explosion happens, don't panic."
His aunt nodded obediently, asking worriedly, "What about you?"
"I'll be fine." Zhang Yuanqing waved his hand. Just then, his phone vibrated as Li Dongze sent a message:
*Captain Yuan arrives in two minutes.*
Meanwhile, outside the outpatient building, Teng Yuan, clad in a baseball cap and mask, pressed the button on his walkie-talkie:
"Li Xianzong, you should be able to see me."
A lazy laugh came through the walkie-talkie: "How do I know if you're Yuanshi Tianzun? Take off your mask and hat and let me see."
Teng Yuan replied blandly, "If I take off my mask and hat, will you be able to confirm it's me?"
"Fair point!" Li Xianzong laughed. "Then I'll just treat you as Yuanshi Tianzun. Here's a tip: there's a bomb planted under the information desk on the first floor. In a few minutes, it will detonate automatically. The controller is on the guy in the black jacket. If you want to save the ordinary people in the hospital, you'd better get moving.
"Yuanshi Tianzun, let me see what you're made of."
Teng Yuan raised his hand, pressing against his ear, and whispered, "Did you hear that?"
Li Dongze's voice came through the wireless microphone:
"He's lying to you. There are bombs on both the first and second floors, but the controller for the first-floor bomb is in the hands of the thug on the second floor. The moment you breach, the thug on the second floor will detonate the first floor."
Teng Yuan: "How do you know?"
Li Dongze: "Yuanshi has already infiltrated the hospital. He assassinated one thug and gathered intelligence through spirit questioning."
Teng Yuan: "That kid really puts one's mind at ease. I'll give him a raise later."
Li Dongze: "..."
*I'm the Decurion here!!*
Li Dongze: "Don't go in yet. Pretend to hesitate and stall for as much time as you can. Li Xianzong is watching you."
Teng Yuan: "Counting the time, the Deacons and other teams will be arriving soon. Have you ever wondered why Li Xianzong still dares to linger in the hospital? What gives him such confidence and assurance?"
Li Dongze: "You mean... he's confident he can escape..."
Mid-sentence, Li Dongze changed the subject: "Yuan Ting is here. Prepare to move. Teng Yuan, support as the situation warrants."
Teng Yuan: "Understood."
*Yuan Ting has infiltrated the hospital. He's responsible for neutralizing the thugs on the first floor, while you take the second floor. In three seconds, I'll have Wang Tai cut the hospital's surveillance system.*
His phone vibrated softly. Reading the message, Zhang Yuanqing counted silently in his head: *One, two, three...*
Entering Night Walk, he bolted out like an unbridled mustang.
Meanwhile, inside the monitoring room, Li Xianzong shifted his gaze away from Teng Yuan. He first checked the time, then swept his eyes over the feeds for the first, second, and fourth floors.
He didn't have much time left. This scheme relied on exploiting the time gap; dragging it out any longer meant certain death. At most, he had five minutes before he had to pull out.
At that thought, Li Xianzong instinctively patted his pocket, confirming the item was still inside.
The item had no offensive power, but it was of high grade. Barring specialized sealing methods, no one could trap him.
This was the source of his confidence in daring to take risks and stage a terrorist attack. In a major metropolis, staging a terrorist attack was suicidal; even an expert at the Saint stage wouldn't dare pull such a stunt unless they had a death wish.
Suddenly frowning, he picked up the walkie-talkie:
"Number Four, show yourself to the camera. Number Four, show yourself..."
Static hissed from the walkie-talkie; no one answered.
Li Xianzong's brow twitched. He switched channels: "Number Five, what's going on?"
In the fourth-floor waiting area, the lean man grabbed his walkie-talkie and chuckled. "Number Four is fooling around with a woman inside. Heard he found a real stunner."
"Go check on him. I suspect Yuanshi Tianzun has already snuck inside."
"Isn't he right outside the entrance?"
Li Xianzong sneered. "The officials told you so, and you just believed them?"
The lean thug immediately abandoned the hostages and walked toward the gynecology corridor. At that very moment, Li Xianzong saw the surveillance monitors flicker, every single screen dissolving into static.
*They're here!* Li Xianzong barked an order into the walkie-talkie:
"Someone cut the surveillance! Detonate the bombs immediately!"
*Someone cut the surveillance! Detonate the bombs immediately...*
The thugs on the second floor received the transmission. Without any hesitation, one dark-skinned, reticent man reached into his pocket.
He had waited for this moment for a long time. Ever since learning that Hei Wuchang was killed and the Holy Grail had fallen into official hands, despair was all that remained of his life.
A life of despair deserved to burst into brilliant flames at the very end.
*Bang! Bang!*
The instant his fingers touched the detonator, two bullets exploded against the back of his skull. The impact and bursting flame threw the man off balance, making him stumble backward.
The expected splatter of brains did not occur; he was an Earth Monster.
Behind the two thugs, the attacker's figure materialized—a young man whose face was covered in dark red scorch marks.
Caught off guard, the two thugs were nevertheless mentally prepared. One raised his gun to shoot, while the other moved to resume the interrupted detonation.
*Bang, bang, bang!*
Bullets struck the ambusher, yet passed through him as if hitting a reflection.
Hidden in the corner, Zhang Yuanqing took out the straw doll. Its face twisted and squirmed, growing eyes and a nose until it perfectly mirrored the Earth Monster.
Zhang Yuanqing pinched the straw doll's head between two fingers and squeezed hard.
The straw doll contorted in a look of "agony."
In the next second, the Earth Monster suddenly clutched his throat, letting out strangled wheezes as an ash-gray pallor crept across his face.
All kinds of negative emotions surged through his mind—rage, agony, bloodlust, hatred, sorrow... His reason vanished into depravity, turning him into a savage beast governed solely by negative emotion.
Locking onto the only source of danger, the other thug, he lunged forward.
"Fuck!"
His grim-faced partner cursed. Backing away, he pointed his muzzle at the Earth Monster and pulled the trigger.
*Bang, bang, bang!*
Bullets struck the Earth Monster's head one after another as if hitting steel armor, ricocheting in all directions. Surrounding hostages erupted into panicked screams and fled frantically.
Tossing aside his empty handgun, the grim-faced man dodged the Earth Monster's clumsy punch and reached for the other's pocket.
He needed to get the detonator.
At that moment, from the corner of his eye, the grim-faced man caught sight of the ambusher reappearing a few meters to the left. Unlike the illusion before, this ambusher wore a pair of black-rimmed glasses.
The ambusher raised a muzzle and aimed straight at him.
*Bang!*
The large-caliber handgun belched smoke and flame. A glowing red slug spun at high speed, striking the thug only to burst into a splash of water, like a stone tossed into a pond.
He was a Water Ghost!
He could temporarily ignore all physical attacks.
A mocking sneer spread across the grim-faced man's face. His hand had successfully slipped into the Earth Monster's pocket.
Just then, however, the ambusher dropped the handgun. Crimson fingerless gauntlets materialized over his hands, and slamming his fists together before his chest, he struck.
*Boom!*
Flames and heatwaves rolled outward, as though a high-explosive grenade had detonated inside the waiting hall. The shockwave rattled the walls, and fire licked at flammable materials.
Caught in the violent blast, both the Water Ghost and the Earth Monster were hurled through the air.
Fortunately, the earlier clash had sent nearby hostages scattering; otherwise, this blast alone would have wiped out most of them.
Naturally, it was precisely because the hostages had fled that Zhang Yuanqing dared to use this move.
Scooping up the Burst Pistol from the ground, he squeezed the trigger at the Water Ghost, forcing him into a continuous roll.
Shooting as he advanced, Zhang Yuanqing walked toward the dazed Earth Monster like a cold-blooded killer striding through gunfire.
Shaking his head, the Earth Monster scrambled to his feet.
Zhang Yuanqing leaped into the air and drove both knees hard onto the back of the man's neck, pinning the Earth Monster flat against the floor once more.
With his gauntleted hand, he reached into the Void, pulling out a forty-centimeter-long silver broken blade. Raising it high, he drove it down hard into the bullet wound on the back of the Earth Monster's head.
*Thunk!*
The armor-piercing effect of the Bloodthirsty Blade punched straight through the Earth Monster's prized defense, sinking halfway into the skull.
The Earth Monster ceased struggling instantly.
Seizing the chance, the Water Ghost fled toward the depths of the consultation area.
Zhang Yuanqing didn't bother chasing the fleeing Water Ghost. He fished the detonator out of the Earth Monster's pocket. Just as he stowed it away, a heavy thud landed in the corridor outside the waiting hall.
He turned toward the sound and saw Yuan Ting.
This River King wore black trousers and a black dress shirt, an indescribable nobility radiating from his brow.
Beside him stood a pale, stiff-faced, hulking man with blackened, razor-sharp fingertips and cloudy eyes.
It was a zombie.
"The two thugs downstairs are dealt with, and the hostages have been evacuated. Did you get the detonator?" Yuan Ting spoke with rapid-fire speed.
"I got it too." Zhang Yuanqing shifted his gaze from the zombie. "But one Water Ghost escaped, and there's still another thug on the fourth floor. Oh, and Li Xianzong."
The operation had gone smoother than expected.
With the bombs neutralized, the hostages could escape; with the thugs' current numbers, keeping the hostages corralled was impossible. Furthermore, Li Dongze and the others had undoubtedly launched their assault by now.
Yuan Ting nodded. "Well done. You've grown remarkably fast. Elder Sun was truly out of his mind. Let's not waste time—head to the fourth floor."
As soon as the words left his mouth, a dense fog abruptly surged all around them.
A blinding sea of white mist swallowed everything, cutting off his sight and concealing Yuan Ting from view.
"Careful! At the Saint stage, Bewitching Demons are called Mist Lords. Inside thick fog, they're invincible! This must be Li Xianzong's item—" Yuan Ting's voice cut off abruptly.
Total silence enveloped the surroundings. Disoriented, unable to tell north from south, Zhang Yuanqing felt as though he were the only person left in the entire world.
Chapter 117