Ghost Talisman Doll

Time dripped like rain.

Lu Ran followed the Moon Watcher patrol team, traversing their jurisdiction time and again, fighting battles north and south.

From street-front shops to abandoned wastelands.

From residential buildings aglow with lights to the dilapidated, abandoned Wulie Riverbank community.

The squad's presence was everywhere.

"Heh."

Lu Ran's chest heaved violently as he gasped for breath, having once again returned with the others to Wulie Riverbank.

Rainwater streamed down his hair and across his face.

Under such high-intensity combat, wearing a raincoat or not made little difference.

"Tired?"

Deng Yuxiang, still holding her dripping knife, stepped over the still-warm corpses of evil creatures and approached Lu Ran.

"No, not tired." Lu Ran panted, slumping onto the muddy ground.

"Stubborn mouth," Deng Yuxiang said, but her beautiful eyes couldn't hide her admiration.

"Little Lu, is your Divine Power Bead's energy reserve sufficient?" Sun Zhengfang asked loudly, standing before the evil creature's remains.

Lu Ran nodded.

His fatigue was physical, not from divine power depletion.

This squad took good care of him. The Divine Power Bead he wore around his neck had never shown signs of its energy running low.

Speaking of which, the physical fitness of these Moon Watchers was explosive, they were practically superhuman!

Especially Deng Yuxiang!

She wielded a long, heavy Horse-Severing Saber, weaving through the chaos and fighting like the world was ending.

For every 100 meters Lu Ran ran, she probably ran 500!

And looking at her now, calm and composed, she was more spirited than a Ferghana horse!

Perhaps even horses didn't have such endurance?

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

"Only 11 o'clock?" Lu Ran looked surprised.

It felt like so much longer.

Deng Yuxiang knelt on one knee, looking at Lu Ran's face. "Just bear with it, another four hours and we'll be done."

3 AM marked a turning point; the tide of evil incursions would significantly recede, ceasing to descend upon the world.

Not far away, Sun Zhengfang's voice called out again, "If Little Lu can't hold on, then so be it.

We'll find a family later and send Little Lu in, ending the additional test here."

"No, don't, Uncle Sun!" Lu Ran said urgently. "Don't kick me out!"

Although he was truly exhausted, his heart was incredibly satisfied!

Fighting his way here, Lu Ran had, through the Moon Watcher squad, captured many souls of evil creatures.

He had truly lined his own pockets!

It was wonderful~

Sun Zhengfang smiled broadly. "You're tired, don't push yourself. I'll find you a safe place to rest.

Oh, that auto repair shop is owned by your classmate's family. Want to spend half the night there?"

Lu Ran immediately became anxious. "I ran with you guys from east to west, from south to north!

We haven't even taken the saddle off, and you're already talking about killing the horse?

No way! 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, reaching out and gently pushing back the brim of Lu Ran's hood. "Your Uncle Sun was just teasing you."

Before she finished speaking, Deng Yuxiang and Lu Ran simultaneously turned their heads, looking up diagonally.

This scene made Wei Hu look bewildered and Wei Long envious.

The body language between the man and woman was clear—enemy attack!

As a believer in the North Wind, Deng Yuxiang could often sense enemies beforehand, so it was normal.

But how could the much weaker Lu Ran do the same?

The Wei brothers followed their gaze. In the air, energy surged, and a slender, evil dog rapidly took shape.

"Woof~"

The roar instantly turned into a whimper. The moment the evil dog materialized, it was met with a barrage of wind blades!

Dare to appear?

Appear and be instantly killed!

Deng Yuxiang lowered her hand, and the Evil Dog's head and body separated, falling to the ground.

Poor Skinny Dog.

Lu Ran was still murmuring in his heart when he suddenly sensed something was off.

In his mind, within the Evil Sculpture Garden, the massive evil sculpture belonging to the Vicious Dog Clan once again glowed faintly in its dog eyes.

Lu Ran had a vague feeling.

He seemed to be able to use the Evil Technique: Evil Teeth?

Was his soul sufficient?

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

Over the past few hours, the squad had killed quite a few Evil Dogs, including several from the River Realm.

Lu Ran's heart stirred. He really wanted to try the Evil Technique: Evil Teeth.

But with so many Moon Watchers around... forget it, he'd lie low for now.

After all, this couldn't be explained easily, so he'd have to test it in private.

"Rumble!"

"Roar!" The rumbling and roaring sounds echoed one after another.

Standing in the dark, desolate land, they looked towards the brightly lit Northern District in the distance.

Sun Zhengfang put away his playful demeanor, his expression serious. "It seems this Evil Dog is not an isolated incident, but a signal."

Deng Yuxiang stood up. "Indeed, the closer it gets to Midnight, the frequency of evil descending will gradually reach its peak. Huh?"

This was the second time she had been interrupted.

"Meow!!"

The sudden sharp cry made them all uneasy!

What rare evil had descended now?

Lu Ran's expression changed slightly!

A cat?

A cat's meow?!

He quickly got up and looked in the direction of the sound.

In the eyes of the Wei Brothers, Lu Ran's energy fluctuated violently, showing clear panic.

But that wasn't the case!

The reason Lu Ran's Divine Power surged was because he had activated his Evil Technique: Evil Awareness to its maximum.

His pair of dark eyes pierced through the night and the curtain of rain, searching for that long-lost figure.

Could it be her?

Could it be that Little Li Hua?

"Go check it out!" Sun Zhengfang commanded.

"Yes!" Deng Yuxiang lightly tapped her feet, her figure instantly darting away.

"Wait for me." Mist surged beneath Lu Ran's feet, and he shot forward like a projectile.

"Lu Ran?"

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

Lu Ran followed Deng Yuxiang's figure, heading straight for a residential building.

The dilapidated entrance to the apartment building was wide open, like a dark, gaping maw.

"Wuwuwu~"

In the pitch-black stairwell, monster cries could be faintly heard.

Mixed in was also a child's eerie laughter.

Lu Ran: !!!

His hair stood on end!

If it were daytime, hearing a child's laughter in a park, Lu Ran wouldn't have reacted this strongly.

The problem was, it was almost eleven o'clock at night!

This was a long-abandoned residential complex, and there was a child's laughter in this dark stairwell?

This was insane.

"It might be a Ghost Talisman Doll."

Deng Yuxiang heavily planted the Night Severing blade into the ground and strode into the stairwell.

The stairwell was narrow, and the Night Severing blade was clearly not suited for use here.

Deng Yuxiang conjured a wind blade out of thin air and held it in her hand. The headlamp she wore on her forehead also activated, casting a beam of light into the dark stairwell.

Lu Ran gripped the Xiaguang Saber tightly and followed close behind.

Instantly, the sound of rain was shut out. In the dead silent stairwell, it felt even more eerie.

Sniff~

Lu Ran twitched his nose. Ghost qi!

A significant portion of evil races carried a special scent.

How to describe it.

It was like the smell of mold on the walls in a damp, dark basement.

Lu Ran was very familiar with it, as he had an evil sculpture garden in his mind. Every time he dreamt of entering it, he could smell it.

"Hee hee~"

As they climbed to the third floor, they heard a child's laughter from above, sending shivers down their spines.

Under the beam of the headlamp, a small head suddenly peeked out from the stairwell above.

Lu Ran's eyes narrowed.

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

From this angle, Lu Ran couldn't see her clothes, but he could see she wore a tiger head hat.

The hat was festive, very much like the lion heads used in folk lion dances.

Why was it called a tiger head hat and not a lion head hat?

Because the character "king" was embroidered on the tiger's head.

And what was stuck below the "king" character was not cute at all!

A yellow talisman paper was pasted there!

It was covered in crooked runes, slightly obscuring the little girl's face.

"Pfft~"

The little girl playfully blew a breath.

The yellow paper talisman in front of her face was blown away, revealing her true appearance.

She was actually quite cute?

Demon Race - Ghost Talisman Doll!

"Hee hee~"

The Ghost Talisman Doll clasped the handrail with her small hands, squatted down, and looked up at them with a smile.

"Baby." Deng Yuxiang suddenly spoke.

Her voice was very gentle, which startled Lu Ran, almost making him respond.

"Come here, sister will hug you."

Deng Yuxiang spoke softly, carrying her blade as she walked upwards.

"Hmm?" The Ghost Talisman Doll tilted her small head. The yellow paper talisman stuck to the front of her hat was blown up again.

"Good girl." Deng Yuxiang soothed the Ghost Talisman Doll, "Don't be naughty, don't blow. Stop!"

Deng Yuxiang suddenly raised her voice, but she still couldn't stop the mischievous little one.

The yellow paper talisman stuck to the hat finally blew off.

In an instant, flames inexplicably ignited on the hat, and the tiger head hat was burned to ashes.

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

Even more terrifying, her eyeballs disappeared!

Only two dark, empty eye sockets remained, looking particularly horrifying.

It was like a transformation!

"Heh heh~"

The Ghost Talisman Doll let out a creepy smile, her dark eye sockets "looking" at them.

"You dare not obey?" Deng Yuxiang's expression turned cold. She had also transformed.

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

She took large strides, crossing two or three steps at a time, and lunged upwards with her blade!

Sniff~

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

Sun Zhengfang, covering their rear, couldn't help but frown.

He immediately released branches from his palm, not questioning Lu Ran's judgment.

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

As expected!

Around the corner of the stairs below, another "Little Tiger" showed its head.

It was a small boy, his face full of curiosity as he looked up at them.

The yellow talisman paper stuck to his tiger-head hat quietly fluttered down.

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