All-Night Revelry

Clang—

The spent cartridge case landed on the ground. Qiu Ran, disguised, reached into her waist pocket but couldn't find a new bullet.

"Olosp Loz's innl, oaz vnl iop. (Looks like you've chosen the wrong target, the Weave: Hidden Juror.)"

It turned its head, its peripheral vision sweeping over the surrounding seats. From between the overturned seats, the figures of survivors of the underworld slowly crawled out, but their faces no longer showed any signs of arguing or quarreling; instead, they all wore sunny and friendly smiles.

One of the girls, disguised Outland, giggled and spoke mockingly in a language only they understood:

"The Speaker misjudged you, which is why he let you wake up. Can't you even catch an ordinary carbon-based life form?"

Disguised as Qiu Ran, Luo Zhi · Concealment, carrying a rifle, turned to face the girl disguised as Gina, with flames continuing to spread wildly behind her.

"In the native language."

Qiu Ran grinned sweetly. "Zola: Deception, don't forget that you were able to descend because of me."

Luo Zhi said with a chuckle in Qiu Ran's voice:

"I will naturally eliminate the 'targets.' You just stay here and maintain the status quo. Yaoka: Forgery Councilor replaced one of the targets during the Nethermark Humanity...

"We don't have enough manpower to provide one Overseer for every stealthy ghost."

Another Imitation Human smiled and reminded him, "I hope you won't forget the Speaker's instructions, ' Luo Zhi · Concealment, don't let your target escape. According to the laws of society, we won't help you.'"

Luo Zhi · Concealment, its eyes almost slits, turned its head with a smile, and was about to step over the wall of fire when suddenly a burning fireball came hurtling towards it.

Bang! It tilted its head slightly, immediately deflected the attack with the butt of its gun, raised its eyes, and looked across the wall of fire.

"Ha... haah..."

Qiu Ran trembled all over, her severed arm hanging limply. With her left hand, she took a pillow from the hard seat, activated the [Natural Ignition] Aoneng, and instantly ignited it, throwing it at the other person.

Snap! The lit pillow instantly transformed into a dark red flame the moment it left the hand, and the Imitation Human all avoided it, not daring to touch it directly.

"No wonder you chose her."

Zola, standing to the side, raised an eyebrow and chuckled lightly, using Gina's appearance as a cover:

"This ability is quite dangerous for us in this civilization."

"Eeya!"

With red eyes, Qiu Ran kept throwing more blankets, wood, and plastic bottles at this side, setting them on fire and turning them into fireballs. She forgot everything, only throwing everything she had at hand in a rage and despair, until the gunshot wound in her abdomen tore open again. Only then did she clutch her stomach in pain and kneel on the ground.

"Ugh... Ughhhhhh..."

It hurts!

This shot wasn't so lucky; the bullet pierced his intestines, rolled violently, grazed his lungs, and flew out between two ribs in his back, tearing off a large chunk of flesh.

Qiu Ran tilted her head back, unable to stop herself from spitting out blood. Her body convulsed violently. The massive blood loss and the use of Aoneng made her feel dizzy and her heart was pounding, but her mind unexpectedly became clear.

Through the smoke-filled wall of fire, Qiu Ran could barely make out the Imitation Human who suddenly stood up from between the seats, their faces smiling, yet uttering cold and cruel words.

Disguising himself as someone else and attempting to kill them—

She remembered.

"The Nethermark Humanity... There's something like this in the biochemical chambers on the third underground level of the Nethermark Humanity!"

Yes, the reason why Li Aoz suddenly suspected her and kept staring at her was because of these monsters disguised as humans.

But didn't Li Aoz already kill that one? And after that, Li Aoz kept an eye on me and Jane, so how could they have had the chance to infiltrate? Keep an eye on me and Jane.

Myself... and Jane Nelia

—Wait a minute.

Could it be? Qiu Ran's heavy breathing paused.

She remembered.

"When Mr. Du Zexin attacked with the Law Enforcement Division Three Agent, Jane was out of sight of Li Aoz and me for a period of time."

At the time, she thought Jane was just taking the opportunity to slack off, but now it seems that it was more than that.

"Comrades of the Subway Brotherhood, I wonder if you would be willing to take on a commission later. I don't want the supplies, just take them as payment."

fraud.

"The Rose Army has troops stationed at Algrat and Xiwang Fort Station, which should be the closest—about 600 kilometers away."

lie.

"I hope you can go there. The Rose Army is willing to accept these liberated test subjects. Their abilities and their hatred for the Netherworld need to be released."

trap.

Jane died; she was killed and replaced by Imitation Human just minutes after she was out of Li Aoz's sight.

Not only that, it also infiltrated the group under Jane's skin and identity, bringing with it even more Imitation Human, intending to spread these monsters, whose identities could be changed at will, to even more distant places through the Subway Brotherhood and the Rose Army.

First came the Rebel Army organizations in the Outland, then the various settlements, then the entire Outland, and finally the Four Nations and even the entire Azure Planet.

Everything was planned by these Imitation Human.

The real Rose Army warrior, Jane Nelia, is dead, just like Nomi, who died long ago at the hands of an unknown enemy and is being carried on by someone else under her identity—at this moment, Qiu Ran finally understands why Jane Nelia felt no affection for them at all back then.

Their identity was taken away, their life was stolen, and they watched helplessly as things didn't go as they expected.

The saying goes, "Don't advise others to be kind if you haven't experienced their suffering." For Qiu Ran, who is inherently weak-willed, hating someone is difficult. In comparison, clearing up misunderstandings is what truly brings her relief.

"I'm sorry, Jane... we didn't understand your pain, and we shouldn't have asked so much of you."

Qiu Ran collapsed to the ground and said apologetically:

"Nomi is our friend, and I hope you two can get along better... Hmm, it looks like I'll soon have the chance to apologize in person."

*Swoosh! Imitation Human disguised as her suddenly picked up a carbon dioxide fire extinguisher, and the cold dry ice spray instantly extinguished the large area of fire. Looking at the face that was exactly the same as hers but with a smile on it, Qiu Ran suddenly realized something.

fire.

"They seem to be afraid of fire."

Previously, I subconsciously felt that fire could still have some deterrent effect on them, but now it seems that those Imitation Human do not dare to come through the fire to kill me.

The Imitation Human is afraid of fire!

"... That's why it was so obsessed with killing me and taking over my body."

For his own Aoneng.

Qiu Ran raised her left hand and looked at the burn scar on her palm.

Wow, this thing is amazing!

"If you had been here sooner, my Li Ren would definitely be living a good life now."

Qiu Ran couldn't help but burst into tears, and she covered her face.

She never imagined that the time when she was most needed in her life would be in the eyes of a murderous monster.

What would happen if these monsters obtained their own Aoneng? Would they overcome their fear of fire, or would it instead become an aid to their invasion of humanity?

Nomi is dead, Jane is dead too. The pain and torment of having one's body and identity stolen is unimaginable. For those trusted lovers, family members, siblings, and loved ones, those you cherished have already been replaced. At the height of your affection, you are murdered by Imitation Human has torn off the mask of trust.

What if such suffering spreads throughout Frostplate, to the Outland, to the entire Azure Planet?

"That's enough, that's really enough."

Qiu Ran laughed and cried at the same time. She looked at the raging fire that was being extinguished in front of her, and her body felt lighter and lighter.

Even if she were foolish, she would know that the moment the flames were completely extinguished would be the moment her life came to an end.

Clang!

Just then, a loud crashing sound came from behind.

"Qiu Ran!"

A deep male voice, accompanied by heavy breathing, pounded on the door and roared, "Are you in there? Qiu Ran —damn it, this damn door, I can't open it, it's double-locked!"

—Leo Li Aoz?

"Is that you... Aoz!"

Qiu Ran leaned against the door, overjoyed, then immediately said anxiously to the door:

"Go back now! Li Aoz, your body can't fight!"

Li Aoz, behind the door, was almost kneeling on the ground, his face pale.

Just as Qiu Ran said, having sensed a threat and been forcibly awakened from his dormant state, his current situation is not optimistic.

The [Gene Overload] status has not been fully restored; only mobility and panel attributes have been restored.

But what use are these to the [Mutant]? [Charisma] is unlike other attributes; without Aoneng, it's like a cannon without cannonballs—just a pretty face.

Of the Aoneng he currently possesses, only the evolved [Blood of Immortality] remains unusable.

Even one more Aoneng would be beneficial; with just one more Aoneng, he could unleash power exceeding the Beta-rank.

"Qiu Ran! Burn the door! Quickly burn the door! If you melt the door down, we'll have a chance to get out!"

Li Aoz shouted anxiously. He didn't know what was happening on the other side of the door, but he knew that if Qiu Ran didn't come out soon, they would all die here once the Imitation Human who replaced Jian was free to do so.

"The only thing we can do now is go back to first class, rely on the impenetrable defenses there, and wait for the right moment to disconnect from the carriages behind us—"

"Aoz".

Qiu Ran said lightly:

"I have more than a dozen monsters here."

Li Aoz was taken aback.

"How can there be so many..."

"Yes, if it's just one or two, it doesn't matter, right?"

Qiu Ran spoke, she slowly stood up.

"Qiu Ran, don't die! You still have family, don't you?"

She looked ahead and saw the oil drum that had just fallen to her feet.

The fire gradually weakened.

Qiu Ran's lips moved slightly:

"I'm so cold, Oz."

"Qiu Ran, hang in there!"

Li Aoz drew his long sword and began hacking at the gate repeatedly.

Bang! Bang! Without the [Soul-Inscribed Sword Saint], his power was no match for the plastic steel door. Su Zhan did not respond to his request; the ordinary longsword could only leave shallow cuts when it struck the door.

With his attacks proving ineffective, Li Aoz looked around and spotted the mechanical Exoskeleton Armor lying to the side, an arm that had been detached from Du Zexin's armor.

"Mr. Li Aoz".

Qiu Ran suddenly said:

"Actually, I lied about something."

"Wait a minute! I'll be right there, wait for me."

Li Aoz immediately calmed down. Based on the effect of [Perpetual: Arbitrary], if it was judged by [Charm], then he could definitely wear it.

"Qiu Ran, hold on a little longer, I'll get you out of here right away!"

"When you were sleeping before, I told you that I had called my family, and then you slept very peacefully."

"Don't say things like that at a time like this! Damn it, is this thing really that hard to put on?"

"But actually."

Qiu Ran grinned and said, "I'd forgotten that my family can't actually afford a telephone."

"I got Ms. Seria's phone and turned on the screen, and that's when I realized it. But I was so embarrassed that I just pretended to talk to myself and pretended to be chatting with my family."

"I said: Xiao Yun, do you know what everyone's names mean? Qiu Yu, Qiu Ping —that's rain and duckweed. In the free park, the rain hitting the duckweed makes a 'plop plop' sound, which is very pleasant. Yunyun's name means 'fragrant herb' because you are so pretty."

Qiu Ran lowered her hand, no longer covering her gunshot wound. Her tone was leisurely and calm:

"Xiao Yun, do you know what my name means? Ran means... the rising sun."

"Ms. Seria also praised me for having a wonderful family—in reality, I was just talking to myself in front of her."

"Hahaha—it's ridiculous, isn't it? We've already come out of that hellhole, yet we're getting involved in something like this."

She laughed exaggeratedly, then suddenly became dejected and said calmly, "... Even if I go back, I won't be able to find them."

Li Aoz was taken aback, but his hands did not stop moving.

"I'm coming right away! Hold on, I'll get you!"

"Li Aoz, I think it's better if I don't go out."

Qiu Ran picked up the gasoline can, unscrewed the cap, and a pungent smell immediately wafted out.

"Cough cough—it's so choking! Li Aoz, I really want to find a way to stop feeling cold."

"What the hell are you talking about?!"

Li Aoz struggled to open the mechanical exoskeleton and attach it to his left hand.

"Wait a minute, just a little longer! Your family is waiting for you to go back and be with them!"

"I'm telling you—you don't need to wait for me."

Qiu Ran raised her head and calmly poured gasoline on her head.

Bang! Li Aoz slammed his fist into the door, instantly deforming the door panel.

Tick-tock, tick-tock...

Gasoline slid down Qiu Ran's chin and splashed on the ground.

"Don't go, Qiu Ran!"

Li Aoz gritted his teeth, pulled hard on the door, and stretched out his right hand toward Qiu Ran: "Don't go over there, Qiu Ran, come back..."

"The rule in Outland is that if you want something, you have to give something in return—right?"

Qiu Ran turned around, her light-colored eyes gleaming with intense emotion.

"Li Aoz, if you have the time, go to university."

She said.

The next moment, flames ignited.