Ma Ran turned his face aside and saw a young man wearing night-vision goggles pointing a gun at him.
The man wore the exact same blue-and-yellow uniform as Liu Huadie, He Nanguang, and Wu Di. He was tall and burly, standing roughly 1.95 meters tall by Ma Ran's estimate.
Ma Ran shifted his gaze to the gun in the man's hand. "I'm Ma Ran from Caolu Academy. I came to Area A3 for an on-site investigation about a week ago."
"Pointing a gun at people isn't a very good habit."
Its appearance resembled a Desert Eagle. It had a pure-black finish, and the caliber of its ammunition was huge. It was called Elephant Hunt.
The weapon was extremely powerful. Just like its name suggested, it basically only needed one shot to kill an African elephant.
Elephant Hunt had been specially researched and developed for Inner Qi Cultivators. It was one of the first-generation supernatural weapons with distinctly Chinese characteristics.
Its recoil was tremendous. If an ordinary person picked up this gun and pulled the trigger, their wrist might dislocate before they even hit their target.
Ma Ran had a deep impression of it because, in his previous life, Wu Di often used a rookie guardian whose hand bones had been shattered by a single shot from the gun as a cautionary example.
"It's 1:05 a.m."
The tall young man pushed up his night-vision goggles with his left hand and looked at Ma Ran expressionlessly. He said coldly, "At this hour, a normal person wouldn't be wandering around a place like this alone."
"I never point a gun at companions from other academies."
"But you..."
"Are you really human?"
Ma Ran had to admit that, from an outsider's perspective, his actions did seem somewhat strange.
But...
The other man's excessive reaction and heightened alertness also revealed a great deal.
"Throughout Area A3, even without counting the transients, there should be 1,100 permanent personnel who underwent rigorous training and possessed extremely high military competence."
The tall young man continued coldly, "But right now, there isn't even a single conscious person here!"
"Everyone I've seen has fallen into a deep sleep."
"No matter what method I use, I can't wake them."
Hearing this, Ma Ran said calmly, "If you don't believe me, Senior, the identification documents I'm carrying should be enough to prove my identity."
The tall young man, whose wariness was exceptionally strong, narrowed his eyes slightly as his palms began to sweat.
The boy in front of him was being held at gunpoint, yet he remained calm and composed.
That tranquil gaze sent chills down his spine.
"I've seen a photo of Ma Ran."
The tall young man swallowed, feeling the hairs on his arms stand on end.
He was clearly the one controlling the situation, yet the other man's reaction made him feel as though he was the one at a disadvantage.
He did his best to steady the gun. "You do have exactly the same face as Ma Ran, but that doesn't prove you're Ma Ran."
"The identification document could be fake, or you could have taken it from someone else."
Ma Ran glanced at the tall young man and calmly stated his name and background. "Song Chu, an abnormally recruited member of Fulan Academy. You joined the academy as someone who had personally experienced a supernatural phenomenon, and you possess exceptional talent in Black Rock Martial Way."
"Before Second Phase Student Wu Di was recruited, your Inner Qi results had always ranked in the top three."
"Your travel companions were all killed when you encountered extraterrestrial life while on vacation, so you're exceptionally wary."
"If I'm not mistaken, you've now filled four acupoints as well and reached the Second Stage of Inner Qi."
As he spoke, Ma Ran casually rolled his shoulders and neck.
A moment later, he looked at Song Chu and said faintly, "Since you know my name, you should understand..."
"Even if you're holding Elephant Hunt, you can't possibly pose any threat to me."
"You're tall and powerfully built, with excellent motor coordination and remarkable innate aptitude. Your actual combat ability has already reached the average level of the Third Stage of Inner Qi."
"You're strong."
Ma Ran looked at him approvingly. "Very strong!"
"With your innate aptitude and Inner Qi enhancement, even some fully armed elite special forces soldiers wouldn't be your match."
"But..."
"I'm currently at the Sixth Stage of Inner Qi."
"Perhaps you don't have a clear understanding of what the Sixth Stage of Inner Qi means."
"So..."
"I'll let you see it now."
As Ma Ran spoke, he slowly raised his hand and lightly tapped the air ahead several times.
The instant he saw the movement, Song Chu's pupils dilated. He was about to fire at a non-lethal area to stop Ma Ran's dangerous action.
But he realized in despair that his hands had completely stopped obeying him!
No!
Not just his hands!
His entire body had fallen rigid.
It was just like in Wuxia novels, where someone was immobilized after having their acupoints struck!
"In theory, once you reach the Fifth Stage of Inner Qi, you can use Inner Qi projectiles to paralyze a target's limbs and impede the normal operation of their nervous system without causing lethal injury."
Ma Ran leisurely walked up to Song Chu. As he explained, he took Elephant Hunt from the other man's hand. "Don't worry."
"You'll only remain in this state for about three seconds."
"You'll recover soon."
Before long, Song Chu gradually regained his ability to move.
Still somewhat unconvinced, he looked at Ma Ran. "Weren't you afraid I'd shoot just now?"
Song Chu had actually had a chance to pull the trigger.
He had only lost the best opportunity to win because of his hesitation.
Ma Ran almost burst out laughing.
Afraid?
Why would he be afraid of a little toy?
Elephant Hunt was known as the "Gun of No Killing."
Perhaps because it had been replaced relatively quickly, or perhaps because it had only been a transitional product to begin with.
From its creation to its retirement, the five hundred Elephant Hunts produced in total had not killed even a single extraterrestrial life-form.
As a veteran civilization guardian tempered by a hail of bullets, Ma Ran wouldn't feel afraid even if he faced a small gun, let alone three or five semi-automatic rifles aimed at him.
He wouldn't even experience an accelerated heartbeat.
"My neural reflexes are much faster than yours."
Ma Ran pulled out a wet wipe and carefully wiped the stolen pistol clean.
Playing with Elephant Hunt in his hand, he said with absolute certainty, "Unless an earthquake suddenly occurs, you have no chance of hitting me."
"Within ten shots, the probability of you hitting me is zero."
"And Elephant Hunt only holds five rounds."
Song Chu stared at Ma Ran, dumbfounded, as he disassembled Elephant Hunt into a pile of parts within one second, then reassembled the firearm in two seconds.
The entire process was unbelievably smooth, making it clear that he was extremely familiar with it.
Song Chu wiped the sweat that had trickled down to his jaw and said sincerely, "Sorry. I was in the wrong just now."
"I hope you can forgive me."
Ma Ran had already subdued him and still hadn't immediately killed him.
From that perspective, Ma Ran was most likely human rather than some dangerous extraterrestrial life-form disguised as an Earthling.
Ma Ran glanced at him indifferently and shook the special pistol called Elephant Hunt in his hand. "Consider this compensation for the trouble."
"You said it yourself just now..."
"Everyone in Area A3, apart from the two of us, may have already fallen unconscious."
"This is an emergency above the level of a red alert."
"We have to find a way to resolve this crisis!"
Ma Ran was a petty man, but he lightly let this misunderstanding go.
In his previous life, Song Chu had sacrificed himself during the "Area A3 Nightmare Incident."
As a pure Inner Qi Cultivator, Song Chu wouldn't have been qualified to perish together with the Nightmare Mother and resolve the crisis if he hadn't been sufficiently vigilant.
Song Chu looked at the Elephant Hunt in Ma Ran's hand, wanting to speak but hesitating.
What exactly had this man been through?
The way he cleaned the weapon was far too natural, wasn't it?
There was no hint of affectation. His familiarity was appalling, and it was impossible to find fault with anything.
It was as if he had done the same thing hundreds or thousands of times...
A happy day had begun!
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