Ghost Talisman Doll

Time fell like rain, drip-drop, drip-drop.

Lu Ran followed the Moon Watcher Patrol Team, crisscrossing their jurisdiction again and again, fighting in the south and north.

From roadside storefronts to abandoned wastelands.

From residential buildings glowing with lights to the dilapidated, abandoned housing complex by the Wulie Riverbank.

This squad could be found everywhere.

"Hehe."

Lu Ran's chest heaved violently as he panted heavily, once again following the others back to the Wulie Riverbank.

Rainwater ran down his hair and across his face.

In this kind of high-intensity battle, wearing a raincoat or not made little difference.

"Tired?"

Deng Yuxiang carried a still-dripping bloody blade, stepping over the not-yet-cold corpses of evil demons as she came before Lu Ran.

"No, not tired." Lu Ran panted and plopped down onto the wet, muddy ground.

"Your mouth is still stubborn." Deng Yuxiang said so, but the admiration in her beautiful eyes was impossible to conceal.

"Little Lu, does your Divine Power Bead still have enough energy stored?" Sun Zhengfang stood before the evil demon corpses and called out.

Lu Ran nodded.

His exhaustion was physical, not from overtaxing his divine power.

This squad had taken excellent care of him. The Divine Power Bead hanging around Lu Ran's neck had never once run dry.

That said, these Moon Watchers had explosively powerful physiques. They were practically inhuman!

Especially Deng Yuxiang!

Wielding a long, heavy Horse-Severing Saber, she darted back and forth, slaughtering until heaven and earth turned dark.

For every hundred meters Lu Ran ran, she probably ran five hundred!

And yet, look at how calm and collected she was now—she was sweating blood more fiercely than a blood-sweating steed!

Perhaps even horses did not possess such endurance.

"It's 11:01. Hang in there." Wei Long's voice came from behind.

"Only eleven?" Lu Ran looked stunned.

Why did it feel as though such a long, long time had passed?

Deng Yuxiang knelt on one knee and looked at Lu Ran's face. "Bear with it. Just hold on for another four hours."

Three in the morning was a threshold. The momentum of the Demon Invasion would sharply decrease, until the demons ceased descending altogether.

Sun Zhengfang's voice came again from nearby. "If Little Lu can't hold on, then forget it.

"We'll find a household in a while and send Little Lu inside. The additional test will end there."

"Don't, Uncle Sun!" Lu Ran hurriedly said. "Don't kick me out!"

Though he truly was exhausted, his heart was incomparably satisfied!

Along the way, Lu Ran had used the Moon Watcher squad's hands to seize the souls of many evil demons.

He had truly lined his own pockets!

It felt simply wonderful~

Sun Zhengfang smiled broadly. "You're tired. Don't force yourself. I'll find you somewhere safe to rest.

"By the way, isn't that auto repair shop run by your classmate's family? Why not spend half the night at her place?"

Lu Ran immediately grew anxious. "I ran with you from east to west, from south all the way to north!

"The millstone hasn't even been unloaded, and you're already slaughtering the donkey?

"No! I'm not leaving. I want to see Captain Ge!

"I've sweated for the Moon Watchers, I've bled for Rain Alley City!"

"Hahahaha~" Deng Yuxiang laughed aloud. Extending a finger, she lightly flicked the brim of Lu Ran's hood. "Your Uncle Sun is just scaring you."

Before her words had faded, Deng Yuxiang and Lu Ran both turned their heads, looking up toward the upper left.

The sight left Wei Hu dumbfounded and Wei Long deeply envious.

The body language between this man and woman was obvious—an enemy attack!

As a North Wind Believer, it was only natural that Deng Yuxiang could sense an enemy's location in advance.

But Lu Ran, whose strength was so low, could do the same?

The Wei Brothers followed their gazes and saw energy churning in midair as a thin, elongated Vicious Hound rapidly took shape.

"Woof-woo~"

Its roar instantly turned into a whimper. The moment the Vicious Hound appeared, it was greeted by a succession of wind blades!

It dared to show itself?

The second it showed itself, it died!

Deng Yuxiang lowered her hand. The Vicious Hound's head and body separated, falling to the ground.

Poor skinny dog.

Lu Ran was still muttering inwardly when he suddenly sensed something unusual.

Inside the Evil Sculpture Garden in his mind, the dog eyes of the enormous evil sculpture belonging to the Vicious Dog Clan glowed faintly once more.

Lu Ran had a vague feeling.

It seemed that he could use Evil Technique: Evil Teeth now?

Had he gathered enough souls?

The Vicious Dog Clan was indeed a relatively common type of evil demon.

Over the past few hours, the squad had indeed killed quite a few Vicious Hounds, including several River Realm Vicious Hounds.

Lu Ran's heart stirred, and he dearly wanted to test Evil Technique: Evil Teeth.

But with so many Moon Watchers around... forget it. Better to keep a low profile first.

After all, this was impossible to explain. He would have to test it in private.

"Rumble rumble—"

"Roar!" The rumbling and howls sounded one after another.

The group stood in this dark, desolate place, gazing toward the brightly lit Northern District in the distance.

Sun Zhengfang put away his joking manner, his expression turning solemn. "It seems this Vicious Hound isn't an isolated case, but a signal."

Deng Yuxiang rose to her feet. "Indeed. The closer it gets to midnight, the frequency of evil demons descending will gradually reach its peak. Hm?"

This was the second time she had been interrupted mid-sentence.

"Meow!!"

The sudden, piercing cry made everyone's hearts tighten!

What rare evil demon had descended this time?

Lu Ran's expression changed slightly!

A cat?

A cat's cry?!

He hurriedly scrambled to his feet and looked toward the sound.

To the Wei Brothers, the energy around Lu Ran was surging violently, and he was clearly panicked.

But that was not the case!

The reason Lu Ran's divine power churned was because he had pushed Evil Technique: Evil Awareness to its limit.

His dark eyes pierced through the night sky and Rain Curtain, searching for that long-missed figure.

Could it be her?

Could it be that Little Li Hua?

"Go take a look!" Sun Zhengfang ordered.

"Yes!" Deng Yuxiang lightly pushed off the ground, her figure suddenly darting away.

"Wait for me." Mist billowed beneath Lu Ran's feet as he launched into motion.

"Lu Ran?"

"Slow down, Lu Ran!" The Wei Brothers hurriedly followed.

Lu Ran followed Deng Yuxiang's figure and raced straight toward a residential building.

The battered apartment building door stood wide open, like a pitch-black gate to the underworld.

"Wuyaaya~"

Strange cries faintly echoed from the dark stairwell.

Mixed among them was a child's eerie laughter.

Lu Ran:!!!

Every hair on his body stood on end!

If he heard a child laughing in a park during the day, Lu Ran would never have reacted so strongly.

The problem was that it was eleven at night!

This was a residential complex abandoned long ago, and there was a child laughing inside this dark stairwell?

What the hell.

"Could be a Ghost Talisman Doll."

Deng Yuxiang drove the Night Severing Blade heavily into the ground and strode into the stairwell.

The stairwell was narrow, and the Night Severing Blade clearly could not be used properly there.

Deng Yuxiang summoned a Wind Blade from thin air and gripped it in her hand. The headlamp on her forehead also came into play, casting a beam of light into the dark stairwell.

Lu Ran clenched the Xiaguang Saber and followed close behind.

The rain sounds were immediately shut outside, and the deathly silent stairwell became increasingly sinister.

Sniff~

Lu Ran wrinkled his nose. Ghostly aura!

A considerable number of Evil Races carried a distinctive scent.

How should it be described?

It was much like the smell of moldy walls in a dark, damp basement.

Lu Ran knew it well, because there was an Evil Sculpture Garden in his mind. Whenever he dreamed of entering the garden, he could smell it.

"Hehe~"

The moment the group climbed to the third floor, they heard a child's laughter coming from above, hair-raising to hear.

Under the headlamp's beam, a little head suddenly poked out from the upper stairwell.

Lu Ran's eyes narrowed.

It was a little girl, seemingly only three or four years old.

From this angle, Lu Ran could not see what she was wearing, but he could see a Tiger Head Hat on her head.

The hat looked festive, very much like the lion head used in folk lion dances.

Why call it a Tiger Head Hat instead of a lion head hat?

Because the tiger's forehead was embroidered with the character "king."

And what was pasted beneath that "king" character was not cute in the slightest!

There was actually a Yellow Paper Talisman stuck there!

Crooked symbols were drawn upon it, partially obscuring the little girl's face.

"Puff~"

The little girl mischievously blew out a breath.

The Yellow Paper Talisman covering her face fluttered up, revealing her true appearance.

She was actually rather cute-looking?

Evil Race—Ghost Talisman Doll!

"Hehe~"

The Ghost Talisman Doll grasped the handrail with both little hands, squatted down, and smiled at the group.

"Baby." Deng Yuxiang suddenly spoke.

Her voice was exceptionally gentle, leaving Lu Ran dazed. He nearly answered her.

"Come, let Sister hold you."

Deng Yuxiang spoke softly as she carried her blade up the stairs.

"Hm?" The Ghost Talisman Doll tilted her little head, and the Yellow Paper Talisman on the front of her hat was blown up once again.

"Be good." Deng Yuxiang soothed the Ghost Talisman Doll. "Don't be naughty. Don't blow. Don't!"

Deng Yuxiang suddenly raised her voice, but she ultimately failed to stop the naughty little thing.

The Yellow Paper Talisman stuck to the hat was finally blown away.

In an instant, flames inexplicably ignited atop the hat, reducing the Tiger Head Hat to ashes.

The Ghost Talisman Doll's small face instantly turned deathly pale!

Even more terrifyingly, both her eyeballs vanished!

Only two pitch-black eye sockets remained, making her appearance especially horrifying.

It was like a damn transformation!

"Hehe~"

The Ghost Talisman Doll revealed an eerie smile, her hollow eye sockets "looking" at the group.

"You dare disobey?" Deng Yuxiang's expression turned cold, and she transformed as well.

From a gentle big sister, she became a ruthless Great Nightmare.

Her long legs stepped forward, crossing two or three stairs in one stride as she rushed upward with her blade!

Sniff~

Lu Ran wrinkled his nose, then abruptly turned to look down and behind him. "There seems to be another one!"

Sun Zhengfang, bringing up the rear, could not help but furrow his brows tightly!

Branches immediately burst from his palm. He did not question Lu Ran's judgment.

Ever since Lu Ran had joined the team, he had proven his powerful perception time and again.

Sure enough!

At the stairway corner below, another "Little Tiger" poked out his head.

It was a little boy. His face was full of curiosity as he looked up at them.

The yellow talisman pasted to his Tiger Head Hat also drifted silently down.