Rustle, rustle, rustle!
Rustle, rustle, rustle!
A giant spider hung in the sky, its red compound eyes wide open. It spun countless strands of silk, which fell like meteors from the heavens and connected to everyone below.
The greedy Heart Gu marked every one of its prey.
Those white strands connected to every person's chest. They had become trophies caught in the spider's web.
The panicked crowd froze in place.
They were saved!
Xu Zhou watched as the girl who had nearly been trampled got back to her feet.
But when he saw the blank expression on her face and how stiffly she moved, the joy that had just welled up inside him froze.
Xu Zhou was at a loss.
What was Brother Bai doing?
Xu Zhou suddenly remembered something Ji Wu had repeatedly warned him about when he first joined the Association.
During a non-anomalous incident, if a Contract Anomalist used their ability on a large number of ordinary people and caused a major impact, any Supervisor present had to stop them.
Earlier, amid all the crying and screams, he thought he'd faintly heard a gunshot.
Xu Zhou spun around.
Ji Wu had raised his gun and aimed it at Bai Zuo.
Xu Zhou jolted and instinctively shouted, "Mr. Ji! Don't shoot!"
Ji Wu's gaze was icy. The hand holding his gun was steady, without the slightest tremor.
Another gunshot rang out!
With Xu Zhou's keen hearing, the shot sounded deafening, leaving his ears ringing.
But Ji Wu hadn't fired it.
Shock appeared on both Ji Wu and Xu Zhou's faces!
Kong Yubo and his teammates had been spread out across Anyang Island, checking for anything unusual.
He wore a wireless earpiece to stay in contact with them.
"Captain, nothing unusual here."
"Same here."
"No anomalies."
"All clear!"
Kong Yubo watched the bustling crowd and the long procession. Although his teammates hadn't found anything unusual, he still hadn't let his guard down.
"What about those two people's location?"
"There are too many people. I'll need a little time to find them."
The person searching was the team's drone operator. He guided the drone over the crowd.
Soon, he spotted Ji Wu and Xu Zhou near the Divine Palanquin.
"Captain, I see them! They're near the Divine Palanquin. Strange—they seem to be heading toward it."
"Good. I'll meet the others near the Divine Palanquin. Keep an eye on them from outside with the drone."
"Understood!"
Because of the procession, most streets were packed with people.
Kong Yubo could only take narrow, empty alleys to cut across and reach the Divine Palanquin quickly.
By the time he finally got there, the Divine Palanquin had already been carried onto the Divine Altar.
Before coming to Anyang Island, Kong Yubo had already had someone look into every detail of the island's procession, from its origins to the arrangements for the entire event. He and his teammates had reviewed it all more than once.
Seeing that the Divine Palanquin had been carried up to the Divine Altar and the Holy Prince had stepped down, he assumed the event was over.
Kong Yubo glanced around and spotted the two members of the mysterious organization in the crowd. They were focused on the Divine Altar.
Could something be wrong up there? he wondered.
He turned his attention to the Divine Altar too.
The most noticeable person on the Divine Altar was the Holy Prince, who had just stepped down from the Divine Palanquin.
He didn't know how they'd cast the role, but the actor playing the Holy Prince fit the part perfectly. His striking looks aside, his otherworldly presence alone made his appearance especially eye-catching.
"That casting is incredible. For a moment, I thought the real Holy Prince had appeared."
"They picked the right person. He's brought the Holy Prince to life."
"Especially that disdainful look in his eyes, as if he sees all living things as straw dogs. He's really captured the Holy Prince's divine and demonic essence."
"Anyang Island really put thought into the casting."
As soon as the Holy Prince appeared onstage, the crowd started talking, showering him with praise.
But the moment Kong Yubo saw the Holy Prince, his pupils contracted and his muscles tensed. Instinctively, he went on high alert.
Ordinary people might not notice anything. They only thought the actor's presence suited the role.
But someone like him, who had weathered countless battles, could tell at a glance how much malice the man exuded!
And the man wasn't trying to hide it at all.
Even the hardened criminals he'd faced rarely radiated such intense malice. It was as if this man really was Hell's Son.
As if all the evil in the world had gathered inside him.
Kong Yubo took a deep breath, keeping his eyes fixed on the Holy Prince. He was close to the Divine Altar, and when the others gradually joined him, he told them to keep an eye on the stage.
When the Holy Prince did something completely out of step with the procession's schedule, Kong Yubo's vigilance reached its peak.
He had someone contact the event organizers and ask whether they'd planned this new segment in advance.
The organizers were baffled too. The event had always followed the same program. This was a culture passed down through generations—how could they suddenly change it?
"You didn't arrange this segment?"
"No! We really didn't! Here on Anyang Island, we've always promoted our ancient culture and respected its traditions. Why would we change the program just to entertain tourists?"
The organizers were sweating profusely with anxiety. They were convinced someone couldn't stand to see Anyang Island's tourism thrive and had come up with some scheme to frame them!
Kong Yubo was about to ask who had chosen the actor playing the Holy Prince when chaos erupted below the stage.
It started with the first scream.
Panic spread quickly through the crowd. The moment the first person started running, it was like an avalanche—there was no stopping it.
Kong Yubo said, "Quick! Have someone notify the local police—"
Just then, the sky suddenly darkened.
Kong Yubo's heart tightened.
He had been about to order his team to maintain order, but he stopped. Stiffly, he slowly raised his head.
The enormous spider blocking out the sky instinctively filled people with dread at its size and helplessness before such a powerful creature.
Kong Yubo had faced countless anomalous creatures, but this was the first time he'd felt utterly powerless at the mere sight of one.
This was a monster humanity couldn't possibly defeat!
But his iron will and sense of duty forced him to suppress that feeling of helplessness.
Anyone else could give up, but he couldn't. Anyone else could retreat, but he couldn't!
So when he saw Ji Wu fire a shot,
he found a spot with a clear view, aimed at the Holy Prince on the Divine Altar, and fired a second shot!
Whoosh!
The bullet tore through the air, spinning toward the Holy Prince's heart.
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