Guardianship

Boss Lu returned to the bookstore, ready to fight Smiling Thousand Hands.

It was a matter of life and death, and Boss Lu had made up his mind. Smiling Thousand Hands didn't want to fight.

He knew the true worth of the Inkwell Scholar; with Smiling Thousand Hands's current strength, he had no chance of winning a head-on confrontation with Boss Lu. His mission was to lure Boss Lu back to the bookstore, and now that the mission was accomplished, Smiling Thousand Hands slipped out the door.

With a wave of his hand, Boss Lu closed the bookstore door. Over a hundred "lock" characters were written on the door, each transforming into a real lock, sealing the door and windows perfectly. Books on the shelves rose into the air, and countless words surged like waves, rapidly enveloping Smiling Thousand Hands.

This is a tactic that Boss Lu specially prepared for Smiling Thousand Hands. The best way to deal with Smiling Thousand Hands is to give him no room to maneuver.

Despite his unfavorable situation, Smiling Thousand Hands remained calm. He dared to storm the Lu Family Bookstore, so he must have been prepared. With a flick of his right hand, he extended the diameter of his sleeve to more than two feet, creating a whirlwind that swept a large amount of text into his sleeve.

This is a thieving technique called "Sleeve Universe," originally a technique used to hide stolen goods, but now it plays a huge role in battle.

The most difficult thing about dealing with the patriarchs and grandmasters is that they have thoroughly studied the techniques of Daoism and can often come up with unexpected solutions.

Since words alone couldn't subdue Smiling Thousand Hands, Boss Lu changed his approach.

He pulled a short sword from his sleeve, held it in his right hand, and thrust it straight at Smiling Thousand Hands's face. Smiling Thousand Hands was taken aback. "Zhou Badou, you've got martial arts skills now?"

Boss Lu is quite skilled; his sword strike was both fast and accurate. Even a martial arts master from the Cloud Realm might not be able to withstand it.

This sword is indeed formidable; its cold edge is menacing, and the sound of it cutting through the air is shrill and piercing, like the wailing of ghosts and howling of Smiling Thousand Hands couldn't help but shudder. But such a straightforward attack method seems a bit too frivolous to use against the patriarch of the Thieves Cultivator.

Smiling Thousand Hands's two fingers trembled, making a clamping motion, and the long sword in Boss Lu's hand was instantly in Smiling Thousand Hands's hand.

"Zhou Badou, what are you, a scholar, doing wielding a sword with me? This weapon looks quite good, it's a waste for you to have it in your hands. I'll keep it for you..." Before he finished speaking, the short sword turned into ink, first staining Smiling Thousand Hands's palm black, then climbing up his wrist and immediately spreading to his elbow.

Smiling Thousand Hands was startled. "Old Zhou, that's where you're wrong! I sincerely stole your things, and you're trying to fool me with fakes!"

This sword is fake. Judging from the gesture, it was taken out of his sleeve. In reality, Boss Lu wrote the character "sword" on his palm with his thumb, which transformed into a long sword. The sword's edge is Cold Qi because Boss Lu carries the book "Embroidered Frost Collection," and the three characters on the cover are constantly spewing frost and snow at Smiling Thousand Hands.

The piercing sound was because there were two volumes of Boss Lu's book "The Cry" on the bookshelf. These two books kept shouting at Smiling Thousand Hands, making Smiling Thousand Hands mistakenly think he heard the sound of something cutting through the air.

The wailing and howling were due to a set of "One Hundred Ghosts Illustrations" on the bookshelf next door. The book contained over a hundred ghosts and monsters, along with several wolf demons, whose cries and howls provided background noise for Boss Lu. Through a series of maneuvers, Xiao Qianshou was Smiling Thousand Hands into stealing an ink-stained sword, mistaking it for a real one.

Smiling Thousand Hands' wrists and palms were stained black with ink. In such cases, there's no need to worry; just cut off the hand and everything will be fine. But Smiling Thousand Hands is not what he used to be. Although he has found a few hands these days, the number is very limited. Would he be willing to cut them off?

If he couldn't bear to cut off his hand, he would have to wait to die. Without the slightest hesitation, Smiling Thousand Hands swung his knife and cut off his right hand. He could no longer use the Sleeve Universe, and Smiling Thousand Hands was once again surrounded by words. Just when it seemed that there was no way to turn the tide, the door behind him suddenly opened.

Boss Lu was taken aback. Despite the fierce fighting, Smiling Thousand Hands hadn't forgotten to pick the locks. There were hundreds, even thousands, of locks on the bookstore door, which Smiling Thousand Hands had easily opened.

"Old Zhou, there's plenty of time in the future, see you later!" Smiling Thousand Hands quickly withdrew from the text and left the bookstore. Boss Lu didn't chase after him. He wasn't very familiar with the Outer State, and there were some things he needed to sort out.

Besides the Magic Box, he also collected quite a few other items from Hundred Demons Workshop, which also needed to be properly organized. With sirens blaring, Boss Lu returned to the bookstore and began tidying up the scattered books.

When the police came over to inquire about the situation, Boss Lu gave a few words of explanation and took the opportunity to put away the severed hand of Smiling Thousand Hands. "Something happened tonight, please try to stay home and not go out."

The police gave him a few words of advice and left the bookstore. Boss Lu opened a city map and saw many places on it flashing with firelight. There had certainly been quite a few incidents tonight.

Boss Lu closed the bookstore doors and decided to stay out of this mess for the time being.

Shops gradually closed, and fewer and fewer pedestrians appeared on the street. Even the barbecue restaurant across the street had lost its customers. The owner stood on the side of the street, looked around, and turned to his wife, saying, "Let's pack up and go!"

The proprietress was a little reluctant: "Let's wait a little longer. We haven't even earned enough to cover the rent today." "What are we waiting for? Didn't you hear people say something's up tonight? The streets are deserted!" "What's up?"

"How should I know? Let's pack up and pack up quickly. If we set up early tomorrow, we'll have everything we need!"

The shop owner put out the fire, and his wife reluctantly packed up their things, lowered the roller shutter, and tidied up a bit. Just as the couple was about to go to sleep, they heard someone banging on the door. The shop owner shouted, "Who is it! We're closed for the day!"

A child's voice came from outside. "Uncle, my dad and I came out to eat. My mom went to the restroom. A stranger said he would take me to buy toys, but I didn't want to go with him, so he hit me and dragged me away."

"I finally managed to escape, but I can't find my mom. She's coming again, and I don't know what to do..." The more anxious the child became, the less he could explain.

"Oh my god, we've encountered a child trafficker! Child, don't be afraid, come here to uncle!" Before his wife could ask any more questions, the shop owner had already opened the roller shutter door. The shutter door had only risen a few dozen centimeters, and the glass door inside wasn't open yet, when the couple realized that the person standing in front of them wasn't their child. Just by looking at the size of the shoes, they knew they weren't the child's. The man squatted down, smiled at the couple, and appeared to be in his twenties.

The shop owner was startled and tried to lower the roller shutter, but the man rolled forward, smashing through the glass door and entering the shop. The man chuckled and said, "Uncle, you're such a kind person! I'm hungry, could you get me something to eat?" The shop owner turned around, grabbed a stove hook, pointed at the man, and shouted, "Get out!"

The man maintained his smile, "What's wrong, uncle? Don't you want to be a good person anymore?" "I told you to get out!" The shop owner swung the stove hook and made a gesture.

Those in the know understand that his pose is just for show; he doesn't actually dare to hit.

The man opposite was not someone to be intimidated. He reached out and snatched the stove hook, hooking it onto the shop owner's shoulder. This hurt terribly, and the shop owner stumbled and fell to the ground.

The man stepped on the shop owner's face and then looked back at the owner's wife.

The proprietress was about to call the police with her phone when the man swung the stove hook, piercing her palm and causing her phone to fall to the ground.

The man stepped on the shop owner's head, twisted his toes twice, and looked down at the shop owner, saying, "Uncle, I'm still hungry. Can you get me some skewers?" The shop owner's cheekbone was crushed. He tried to struggle to get up, but his head seemed to be nailed to the ground, and he couldn't move at all.

"You say you run a barbecue business, but you don't grill skewers? What are you keeping these skewers for?" The man grabbed a handful of iron skewers and nailed them one by one to the owner's body, each skewer piercing through his body and deeply embedded in the ground.

The man laughed and said, "Looks like you're not in pain yet. You'll scream when you are."

The shop owner's eyes were bloodshot, and his whole body was trembling, but he couldn't make a sound. It was as if a mouthful of sand was stuck in his throat, and he couldn't swallow it down or spit it out. The shop owner's wife called out in fear.

The man turned to the shop owner and said with a smile, "Uncle, I'm not married yet, could you lend me your auntie for a bit?"

The shop owner tried to fight back, but he was pinned to the ground and couldn't move.

The proprietress tried to run away, but the man flicked a stick, pinning her to the wall. The proprietress screamed in agony.

"Why run? Why suffer like this?" The man pinched the proprietress's cheek. "Put in more effort, shout louder, and attract more people to watch our performance! Your business will definitely boom in the future!"

The proprietress screamed at the top of her lungs. The proprietress trembled all over.

"The show's about to begin." The man chuckled, turning on the barbecue restaurant's lightbox. The lightbox lit up, but the words "barbecue" were nowhere to be seen. Boss Lu looked across the street and shook his head, saying, "They say Pro State is ruthless, Outer State have no shortage of beasts."

Inside the barbecue restaurant, a man was preparing to assault the female owner.

"What kind of sign is this? It doesn't even have the words 'barbecue' on it, how are you going to do business?" The man touched the proprietress's face, then suddenly felt a warm sensation in his trouser leg. Had she peed?

Did you pee your pants in fright?

It's normal for them to be scared and wet themselves; the man couldn't understand why he had actually urinated. The texture was also wrong; urine didn't seem this sticky.

The urine seems, or rather it shouldn't be, red.

The man stumbled back a few steps and fell to the ground. Something fell out of his trouser leg. It fell!

That thing, it actually fell!

Overwhelmed by fear and pain, the man screamed, his trousers stained with bright red blood.

Worried that he was losing too much blood, Boss Lu left the character for "burn" on his wound for a moment. Smoke rose, and the man continued to moan.

He didn't know who had cut him or burned him. He picked up the things that had fallen to the ground and tried to run away, but his legs buckled and he collapsed to the ground again. Smoke rose from his calves; his tendons were burned.

The man reached out to crawl out the door, but his arms suddenly gave way, and he collapsed to the ground. His tendons were burned.

The word "burn" lingered around him, and the things that had been cut off fell to the ground again.

Seeing how pitiful he was, Boss Lu didn't send the word "burn" but instead sent the word "roast," to roast the thing until it was cooked. Boss Lu meant well; once it was fully cooked, it could be eaten with a little salt and pepper.

The man had no appetite; he writhed toward the door, and the skewers on the shop owner fell off, apparently pulled out by someone. The shop owner slowly got up from the ground and raised the stove hook behind the man.

"You, you mustn't..." The man glanced back, his body scrambling backward. The skewers on the proprietress had also fallen off; she dialed the police.

"A lot of people called the police tonight; I have a feeling there's something connected," Light Bulb made a bold assumption in front of Honey Candy and Chuunibyou. Honey Candy rolled her eyes at Light Bulb: "Do you even need to tell me? Anyone can see that!"

Chuunibyou said, "I think these people belong to the same organization, and tonight's situation was a planned and premeditated operation."

Candied Fruit nodded and said, "The analysis by the Chuunibyou' is still the most thorough!"

Light Bulb frowned and said, "Candied Fruit Sister, is there a difference between what I said and Chuunibyou said?"

"Can't you tell the difference?" Honey Money parked the car outside a residential complex. "Remember the location: Sixth Building, Room 1301. Once you're up there, get the job done quickly and try to make it to the next round. Director Shen said that this time the Harmonizing Agent will be paid per person!"

The Dark Star Bureau divided its Public Security Team members into dozens of groups and shared all case information in a work group. After completing their assigned tasks, each member could also assist other groups in completing their tasks.

The Light Bulb sighed, "We've wasted so much time on the road. Next time, we need to choose a better location and try to get there within half an hour."

Chuunibyou wasn't so optimistic. "So far, no group has reported any success in the group chat. These people aren't so easy to deal with. We must not underestimate them." The three arrived at Sixth Building, where the police chief briefed them on the current situation.

"The suspect disguised himself as a lost elderly man and asked for directions from house to house. Only the resident of room 1301 opened the door for him. There were six people in the family: two elderly people, a couple, and two children. The whole family was taken hostage by the suspect."

The suspect is demanding a ransom of 50 million and a helicopter to ensure his safe departure from Yuezhou City. "Light Bulb" was puzzled. "Has he been watching too many cop movies? A helicopter?"

The Chuunibyou asked, "What is this suspect's special ability?"

The officer replied, "His fighting skills are outstanding; he injured several of our officers without any special weapons." The Light Bulb said to the candied fruit, "Isn't that a typical martial arts practitioner?"

Candied Fruit shook his head. "Don't be arbitrary. Many Dark Energy User in the community don't have a clear profession."

The group arrived on the thirteenth floor and stood in the hallway. Mijian heard conversations inside the room. "Have you decided yet? Who's the first one?" As soon as she finished speaking, a chorus of sobs erupted.

"Oh no! He's going to hurt the hostages!" The officer looked at the candied fruit. The Chuunibyou asked, "Have you deployed snipers?"

The officer shook his head and said, "I've tried twice. As soon as the sniper takes position, he spots him immediately, and each time the hostage is harmed." The Chuunibyou frowned. "This isn't an ordinary fighter; he has the methods of Peeker."

The Light Bulb nodded. "This could be a form of voyeurism, or it could contain a magical artifact for voyeurism."

The kidnapper's voice came again. "Hurry up, we don't have time to waste!" The sound of a child crying came from inside the house first.

Then came the old man's voice. "Don't touch the child, I, I'll take care of it." The police officer was right; the kidnappers were indeed going to harm the hostage.

The candied fruit vendor ordered, "Move immediately!"

Before setting off, the three of them had already devised a strategy: Light Bulb would enter the room first to attract the suspect's attention, Chuunibyou would be responsible for providing backup and ensuring the safety of the hostage and Light Bulb, and Mikan would use restraint techniques to subdue the suspect.

The Light Bulb slowly approached the room, and suddenly a ball of flame burst out of the doorway. This person knows Fire Cultivator techniques?

The Light Bulb was startled and shook its head at the candied fruit.

Fire Cultivator is better than oil repair; Light Bulb are not suitable to be the first thing to enter.

The old man's screams and the child's cries rang out together. The kidnapper had made his move. There was no time to adjust his tactics. The Chuunibyou made a gesture and charged first.

Unlike martial arts practitioners, Chuunibyou need suitable weapons to fight, and in the current combat environment, the most suitable weapon is undoubtedly a gun.

The Chuunibyou, carrying a gun, stormed into the house. The kidnapper was an elderly man around sixty years old, standing behind a hostage covered in blood with obvious wounds inflicted by a sharp weapon. The kidnapper wasn't carrying a weapon. Even if he was a martial arts practitioner, what tool did he use to injure the hostage? It couldn't have been his fingernails, could it?

Without a Chuunibyou thought, he fired directly at the suspect.

The magazine held twelve rounds. The Chuunibyou, and all twelve bullets hit their mark, three of them striking the head. The kidnapper was bleeding from his face, at least proving the bullets had injured him.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Mi Jian threw out a fishing net, which accurately caught the kidnapper.

This equipment was specially modified by the Dark Star Bureau for the Candied Fruit, effectively overcoming the problem of the Binder's close-range combat. With the fishing net controlling the suspect, the mission was more than half successful.

The Light Bulb rushed into the house, cooperating with the Chuunibyou to rescue the hostage. The candied fruit was preparing to draw a fishing net on the suspect to ensure the binding strength.

It's hard for ordinary people to understand the thought process behind candied fruit. The suspect already had a fishing net tied to him, so why draw another fishing net?

This is related to the binding techniques used by the binders. Drawing several intersecting lines in a net-like pattern on a suspect's body will create an invisible net, which is the most binding technique. The technique is called conceptual binding.

In Pro State, there is also a corresponding technique for Binding Cultivator, called drawing a cocoon as a prison.

As for the candied fruit, if the net she drew had 100% strength, the net made by the Dark Star Bureau would have at most 30% strength. So, to be on the safe side, she would add a restraint to the suspect.

Before the three could get close to the suspect, he suddenly broke free of the fishing net, rubbed a ball of Fierce Flame from his palm, Fierce Flame turned into a fire dragon that swirled and danced around the three of them.

The Light Bulb withdrew its technique and quickly retreated. The candied fruit was also forced outside by the flames. The chuunibyou, Chuunibyou the flames, rushed to the suspect and stabbed him in the throat with a dagger. Blood flowed from the suspect's throat, and his cheek twitched slightly.

This blow from the Chuunibyou had a clear texture; he wounded the opponent's skin but not their flesh, and it seemed that beneath the opponent's skin lay a suit of armor. The suspect swung his arm and slapped the chuunibyou across the Chuunibyou.

What kind of playing style is this?

The Chuunibyou dodged the opponent's palm by tilting his head back, but his cheek was scratched by the opponent's fingernails. The injury was quite serious, and the Chuunibyou's cheek became slit.

They really did use their nails!

Fortunately, the other person wasn't very skilled, otherwise, the Chuunibyou would definitely have lost his life. The fact that he wasn't skilled suggests that he was probably not a professional fighter.

Chuunibyou reloaded his magazine and prepared to fire again when the suspect swung his hand, aiming a chop at Chuunibyou's arm. Chuunibyou quickly pulled his hand away, dodging the attacker's arm, but the gun barrel was severed.

This time, the Chuunibyou finally figured out the opponent's cultivation method: Blade Cultivation!

The divider!

The Severer can use his surroundings, even parts of himself, to create blades; no wonder he was able to break free of the candied fruit's fishing net. The Dark Star Bureau has a Severer named Geng Congyi, who once worked on a mission with Li Qi.

I've seen his fighting style Chuunibyou and I also know about the skills of the Ripper.

Geng Congyi could create sharp blades remotely and even sever a worker's control over tools. Could this suspect do the same? Yes, he could!

He unleashed an invisible barrage of blades from a distance. Relying on his fighter's instincts, Chuunibyou dodged with all his might, but still took two stabs.

Fortunately, the two stabs weren't fatal, so they didn't affect Chuunibyou too much. While the two were locked in combat, Light Bulb and Candied Fruit rushed back into the house. Light Bulb snatched a hostage, the blade grazing past him without harming him.

Candied Fruit tried to close in again to use a binding technique, but was injured in the right arm by a sharp blade and had to retreat from the room once more. Light Bulb sneaked in again and rescued another hostage.

The kidnapper threw a fireball at the Light Bulb. The Chuunibyou rushed forward, unfolded his coat, creating a gust of wind that deflected the fireball, protecting the Light Bulb. The Light Bulb escaped with the hostage, Chuunibyou in a precarious situation.

Using clothes to fan himself, with wide, sweeping movements, the Chuunibyou with delusions of grandeur) became a sitting duck in front of Renxiu.

Two sharp blades pierced his stomach, Chuunibyou pierced his chest. The chuunibyou risked his life, using a dagger to slash the suspect's eye. Taking advantage of the situation, the Light Bulb snatched another child and rescued the Chuunibyou from the house.

The Chuunibyou was covered in blood and collapsed against the wall.

Just as Mijian requested assistance from the Dark Star Bureau, the police immediately contacted an ambulance. The Dark Star Bureau was already out of manpower.

Even if there were manpower available, there simply wouldn't be enough time to provide support.

Three of the six hostages were rescued, leaving a couple and a child still at large.

The kidnapper roared, "You're finished! You've angered me! I'm going to burn them all! I'll burn this little one first!" He conjured a fireball in his palm and picked up the child from the ground.

The Light Bulb dared not rush in.

For a moment, Mi Jianjue couldn't think of a solution.

The Chuunibyou stood up from the wall, pointed at the house and whispered, "Damn it, break the fire, you guys rescue the hostages." His mouth was full of blood, and his speech was very slurred.

He was covered in blood and could barely stand.

The Light Bulb grabbed the Chuunibyou: "Don't go, stay here and don't move..." "Protect." The Chuunibyou rushed into the house without the slightest hesitation.

The candied fruit rushed in afterward.

The Light Bulb gritted its teeth and rushed in as well.

The kidnapper, clutching a Light Bulb, dared not use his special technique. He dragged the child's father towards the door. The Chuunibyou grabbed the kidnapper's wrist, wrestling desperately, and snatched the child, taking him outside. The Light Bulb rushed back into the house, grabbed the child's mother, and fled.

The child's mother's legs went weak, and she couldn't muster any strength. The Chuunibyou, who had been stabbed countless times, was on the verge of collapse.

The Light Bulb was turned on, and the mother, dragging her child, glided out.

Candied Fruit rushed in to help, and the kidnapper chopped down the Chuunibyou with his bare hands. The fireball was about to turn into a fire dragon, but suddenly it went out in his palm. Li Banfeng grabbed the kidnapper's head from behind.

The kidnapper was in a lot of pain, his consciousness was becoming blurred, and he couldn't use his skills for a moment.

As Li Banfeng walked out of Flower Lake Park, he received a message—he had received information on all the cases in the city. He went to the nearest residential area and flew into the house through the window.

The kidnapper was still struggling when Li Banfeng twisted his wrist, and a cracking sound came from the kidnapper's skull.

"Candied fruit, take Chuunibyou to the hospital and escort the hostages away!" Li Banfeng gave the order.

Mi Jian quickly picked up the Chuunibyou character from a popular Chinese novel), and Li Banfeng looked at the kidnapper and asked, "Who told you to do this?" The kidnapper didn't answer, so Li Banfeng increased the pressure on his hand, and the sound of a skull cracking rang out again. The kidnapper, unable to bear the pain, said with difficulty, "It was us..."

He had barely uttered three words when the kidnapper's body exploded on the spot.

There are some things he can't say; Li Banfeng has seen this kind of tactic before.

All civilizations are fabrications; the people of Snowflake Port cannot pronounce Du Wenming's name.

This incident is also related to Du Wenming. It's highly likely that Du Wenming orchestrated all these cases, or perhaps they were orchestrated by higher-ups at Hundred Demons Workshop. What is his purpose in doing this?

Li Banfeng glanced at his phone again; all the core members of the Dark Star Bureau had been mobilized. Was his target the Dark Star Bureau building?

8B

In the interrogation room of the Dark Star Bureau, Geng Shunxi, a core member of the Hundred Demons Workshop, refused to confess. He had long since succumbed to the oppressive aura of the Judges's vessel, and was on the verge of collapse.

Several times he wanted to speak, but after glancing around at the members of the interrogation team, he chose to remain silent.

Shen Jingye sensed something was amiss. He ordered everyone else to leave the interrogation room and turned off all surveillance equipment. He approached Geng Shunxi and lowered his voice, asking, "Do we have people of your kind in our bureau?"

Geng Shunxi remained silent.

Shen Jingye then asked, "Are you afraid to tell the truth because you're afraid he'll kill you to silence you?"

Geng Shunxi lowered his voice and said, "It's not just me they'll kill. If any of your traitors leak this information, they'll kill my whole family." "Who are they?"

"I can't say, I'll die if I do."

"They used Curse Art on you, and there are some names you can't say, right?" Geng Shunxi nodded.

"There are always things you can say. You're a core member. If you can't bring up anything, what role can you play?" Geng Shunxi paused for a moment before saying, "Our Hundred Demons Workshop has members all over the world..."

Shen Jingye shook his head and said, "I already know these things. It's just you and me here. Tell me things you don't know. As long as what you say is valuable, I can guarantee your safety."

Geng Shunxi lowered his voice and said, "We have Controllable Electromagnetic Pulse Weapon." "What are those?"

"We have mastered the technology to create weapons capable of destroying a large number of communication devices in a short period of time. Our first target is Yuezhou."

P. S.: In Chapter 261, Chuunibyou character from Journey to the West) said that his purpose in joining the Dark Star Bureau was to protect this world and everything important in it, and he succeeded. Dear readers, please vote for Salad!