Ranking Match

Lu Ran quickly hung up the phone, his actions swift and decisive.

This was too terrifying!!

After that call, his backside still ached faintly.

Lu Ran touched the spot where he'd been struck by Wind Blade and walked towards the bathroom.

He took a quick shower, which took about ten minutes, and then came out.

However, as he passed the window, his peripheral vision seemed to catch something.

Lu Ran couldn't help but retreat back.

"What the heck?"

Lu Ran saw a luxury coupe parked on the sidewalk outside the lawn.

Leaning against the front side of the car was a tall figure, playing on her phone, facing the window of Lu Ran's bedroom.

"Hmm?"

The young woman's senses were sharp, and she raised her eyes to look at the small bedroom window.

Lu Ran remained frozen in place.

Awkward!

Just then, the red sun was rising, and the sky was filled with dawn clouds.

The morning sunlight illuminated the woman's delicate profile.

The beautiful ruby earring on her earlobe also gleamed brightly in the light.

Deng Yuxiang smiled playfully, "I heard your phone signal is bad?"

"Ah." Lu Ran couldn't avoid her, so he took a few steps forward to the window, "It's too old, time for a replacement."

This girl...

Can't handle it, huh?

Who blocks someone's doorway like this!

Deng Yuxiang tilted her head slightly, gesturing with her chin towards Lu Ran, "Is your ear signal good?"

"It's passable," Lu Ran touched his earlobe, "Barely usable."

"Hmph, bring your knife," Deng Yuxiang turned and opened the car door, plopping into the driver's seat, "Five minutes, starting the countdown now."

As she spoke, Deng Yuxiang raised her slender arm and shook her phone, which had started the countdown.

Lu Ran was stunned!

"No, don't you have a brother?" Lu Ran looked distressed, "If you're itching for a fight, go beat him up!"

Deng Yuxiang casually replied, "He's not blood-related, is he?"

Lu Ran: ???

What the hell?

The way she said that... it actually made sense?

Lu Ran said helplessly, "It's this early in the morning, at least let me eat something."

"I'll treat you," Deng Yuxiang said indifferently without looking up, "Tell me what you want to eat."

Lu Ran looked at the domineering heiress in the luxury car and blurted out, "Hot pot?"

"Heh!"

Deng Yuxiang was genuinely amused to the point of laughter. She stepped out of the car, her leather boots stomping heavily on the ground, as if preparing to get up.

"Soy milk and fried dough sticks are fine too," Lu Ran turned to find clothes.

Deng Yuxiang watched the figure disappear from the window and then retracted her leg.

A few dozen seconds later, Lu Ran jumped directly out of the bedroom window, carrying his wooden knife across the lawn to the car.

"What's the rush? There are still several minutes," Deng Yuxiang looked at Lu Ran's indignant expression, her smile becoming even more captivating.

"Aren't you working in Yunshan City?" Lu Ran leaned on the car window.

"The 15th is approaching, so I was sent back by the bureau," Deng Yuxiang gestured to the passenger seat, "Get in."

"Oh." Lu Ran had no choice but to get in the car with his knife, "You want to stretch your muscles. Should we bring Yutang along too?"

Deng Yuxiang stepped on the accelerator, "I wanted to bring Yutang along for the mission too, but he's not living up to expectations."

Upon hearing this, Lu Ran immediately defended him, "Yutang is very capable! He's our team's soul! No matter what difficulties the team faces, he never gets discouraged and is always the one to rally us."

As Deng Yuxiang drove, the corners of her mouth curved slightly upward.

The atmosphere of this squad was truly good.

Yesterday, she had spoken with Deng Yutang on the phone, inquiring about the status of the squad.

Seventeen or eighteen, the prime age for wanting to prove oneself.

However, whether from Deng Yutang's words or Lu Ran's own, both were praising the other.

This was rare.

Deng Yuxiang smiled, glancing at Lu Ran. "Don't bother. No matter how much you praise my brother, you can't escape this beating."

Lu Ran: "..."

A moment later, Lu Ran blurted out, "Then how about I praise you?"

"Haha~" Deng Yuxiang couldn't help but laugh, her laughter hearty and clear.

Her radiant and captivating appearance perfectly matched the sunny, rainy alley of today.

"Are there any breakfast places around here?" Lu Ran asked, noticing the car driving further and further off the beaten path.

This road led to the desolate area, the Wulie Riverbank residential complex.

"Someone wants to see you," Deng Yuxiang said. "Let's meet them first, then I'll take you to eat."

"Who?" Lu Ran asked, confused.

"You have no idea how much trouble the bureau's decision to give you an additional test has caused us," Deng Yuxiang said, patting the steering wheel. "Some of my colleagues want to meet you."

"I knew it!" Lu Ran's eyes lit up.

How could this girl possibly block his door just to beat him up?

So, the people he was about to meet were his teammates from the Night of the Fifteenth?

"You need to perform well later," Deng Yuxiang said softly.

"Absolutely!"

A few minutes later, the coupe slowed down and stopped in front of an abandoned residential complex.

Lu Ran opened the door and got out, looking around.

Seeing no sign of the Moon Watchers, he immediately tilted his head back and looked up at the rooftop of the abandoned residential building. "Are they up there?"

Deng Yuxiang walked into the overgrown grass. "Not the building you usually go to."

Lu Ran followed, whispering, "Thank you."

The reason for his gratitude was unspoken.

It seemed Deng Yuxiang had already learned a bit about Lu Ran and knew why he was so persistent about training in this area.

Deng Yuxiang smiled. "Originally, I didn't plan to meet here.

But this area is a key zone our squad is responsible for guarding during this Night of the Fifteenth."

Lu Ran said, "We're in charge of this area?"

"Mm," Deng Yuxiang led Lu Ran into the central residential building of the complex. "Centered here, covering the two blocks nearby."

Lu Ran: "It doesn't seem like a very large area?"

Deng Yuxiang reminded him, "It's the fifteenth of July."

"Oh, oh," Lu Ran nodded.

The two arrived at the rooftop and found three Moon Watchers.

Two young men were standing by the rooftop railing, looking out at the scenery.

They were similar in build, both over 1.8 meters tall, with neat crew cuts and wearing black training uniforms.

In a corner of the rooftop, another middle-aged man was on the phone.

He had a square face and was over forty. He was Captain Sun, Sun Zhengfang, who had treated Lu Ran's injuries before.

"They're here," the two young men keeping watch turned their heads in unison.

Their appearances were strikingly similar, looking to be around twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old.

Were they twins?

"Wei Long, Wei Hu," Deng Yuxiang introduced them to Lu Ran. "You can just call them Brother Wei."

Lu Ran immediately greeted them, but his mind was racing.

Wei Long?

What a... bold name!

"Hello."

"Hello, Lu Ran," both responded. However, their demeanor was stern, and they both looked very serious.

"They used to be soldiers and transferred to the Gods Bureau after retiring," Deng Yuxiang said softly. "Both brothers are Prison Devil Believers."

Lu Ran: "..."

What a coincidence!

"Heh heh," Deng Yuxiang chuckled, clearly aware of Lu Ran's past. "What's with that expression?"

Lu Ran immediately shook his head, "It's nothing."

As expected of the Moon Watcher team, they were truly full of talent!

The believers of the Gods in the front three rows were all precious commodities.

Within this team, Deng Yuxiang was a believer of the Second-Class God, North Wind, and the Wei Brothers were believers of the Third-Class God, Prison Devil.

Four words: explosive talent!

What puzzled Lu Ran was why two Prison Devil believers, who excelled at control and defense, were in the same team.

This wasn't resource overlap. Oh, I get it. They're probably doing this for me?

"Little Lu." Sun Zhengfang, still on the phone in the distance, waved over.

"Hello, Uncle Sun!" Lu Ran waved back with a smile, very politely.

He was the team's attending physician. If he broke an arm or a leg on this mission, he'd have to trouble him.

Sun Zhengfang also smiled, "Big Dragon."

Wei Long: "Here!"

Sun Zhengfang gestured towards Lu Ran's position, "Go easy."

Wei Long: "Yes!"

Upon receiving the order, Wei Long strode towards Lu Ran.

Deng Yuxiang immediately stepped aside, instructing, "Show them everything you've got. Your performance will determine your role within the team on the Night of the Fifteenth."

To Deng Yuxiang's surprise, Lu Ran held his wooden knife and twirled it. Ever since she picked him up this morning, he had been reluctant. But now, facing a strong opponent striding towards him, Lu Ran was brimming with battle intent! Could it be that this kid has a thing for fighting Prison Devil believers?

"Understood!" Lu Ran tensed his body, his legs slightly bent. "It's just a ranking match! Today, I'll show you what it means to reach platinum in one battle! What? You say I'm silver? No, no, no, you must be mistaken. Also, it's not that I'm stubborn, but your matchmaking system has problems too."