Furious and Ferocious

However, before those two shadows could even crash down.

A shrill, miserable scream erupted from the street.

"No... don't..."

Before the cry could finish, it was drowned out by the sound of impact.

BOOM!!!

The concrete road cracked and collapsed like a spiderweb, dust billowing into the sky.

Xia Xuan and the others instinctively hunched over to protect their heads as gravel and dust pelted them.

Within the haze, only the sound of dull, heavy impacts could be heard.

Thud, thud, thud...

It sounded like a heavy hammer repeatedly striking the ground.

"W-what is that sound?" a team member asked, his voice trembling.

Zou Yue's face was pale. Through the gaps in the swirling dust, she could vaguely see a mass of flickering, blood-red light at the center of the haze.

Within that light, there appeared to be two figures entangled together.

"Just now..." she murmured in a daze, "wasn't that beast hit right in front of us?"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone froze.

Zhou Ming's lips moved, wanting to say something, but no sound came out.

He remembered clearly that Uncle Wang had fled in a panic toward the south, and the spot where that red light and the shadows had fallen.

Was exactly the center of the southern street.

"It seems... it really was." A team member swallowed hard.

Xia Xuan did not respond.

His attention was entirely focused on the monsters surrounding them.

After the red light crashed to the ground, the swarm of Human-Faced Spiders that had been crazily surging toward the building all acted as if a pause button had been pressed.

They stopped in unison, their eight legs stiffly supporting their bodies, their compound eyes all turned toward the center of the dust, motionless.

"Move," Xia Xuan whispered.

He tugged at the still-dazed Zhou Ming and signaled toward a side alley.

Zou Yue and the other three team members immediately understood and followed quickly.

As for whether Uncle Wang was dead or alive, no one mentioned it again.

Just as they were about to turn into the alley, the dust in the center of the street slowly began to dissipate.

Xia Xuan instinctively glanced back.

Then, he froze in place.

Seeing him stop, Zou Yue also followed his gaze.

At this sight, she was stunned as well.

In the center of the street, a shallow crater over five meters in diameter was clearly visible.

The concrete at the bottom of the pit had been completely pulverized, exposing the soil and pipes beneath.

And at the center of the pit...

A figure was straddling a giant, multicolored monster.

The monster's eight thick spider legs were still twitching slightly, but its head had been smashed deep into the ground, leaving only the shattered shell of its occiput exposed.

The person riding on top wore a black hoodie with the hood pulled low and a mask covering their face.

Their fists fell like a rainstorm; every time they struck the monster's head, a visible ripple of force exploded outward.

The ground shook with every blow.

THUD! THUD! THUD!!!

The final punch landed.

The monster's head exploded completely, green fluid and shell fragments splattering everywhere.

The figure in black stopped.

He was panting heavily, the blood-red light surrounding his body gradually fading.

But the crimson hue remaining in his eyes had not yet fully receded.

He leaned down, reached into the rotting flesh of the monster's head, fumbled for a few seconds, and pulled out an object emitting a soft blue glow.

The figure in black looked down at the blue orb for a moment before stuffing it into the tactical pouch at his waist.

Only after finishing this did he slowly lift his head.

His gaze swept across Xia Xuan and the others on the side of the street.

Zhou Ming stared blankly at that figure.

For some reason... he felt that the figure was inexplicably familiar.

As if he had seen it somewhere before.

But before he could think it through, the gaze of the man in black shifted away.

He stood up, grabbed one of the monster's forelimbs, dragged the massive corpse, and turned to leave.

"W-wait a moment!"

Xia Xuan's voice suddenly rang out.

He didn't even realize himself that his voice carried a hint of trembling.

The man in black stopped, holding the monster's corpse, and slowly turned his head back.

The blood-red color in his eyes had not yet fully faded, and when that gaze swept over, Xia Xuan felt his scalp instantly prickle.

An indescribable sense of oppression crushed through the air like a physical force.

Yet, Xia Xuan still bit the bullet and spoke: "Inside these... some cities hide things that even peace-keeping weapons cannot resolve."

The man in black did not speak, just watched him quietly.

"The Federation will soon initiate the City Relocation Plan within the Abyssal Void." Xia Xuan spoke quickly, "Concentrating survivors into a few relatively safe areas. You... might want to keep an eye on that."

Jiang Ran listened, his brows furrowing slightly under his hood, revealing a look of contemplation.

He then nodded, signaling that he understood, before turning around and dragging the Mother Spider's corpse, quickly disappearing into the shadows at the other end of the street.

Not until that figure had completely vanished.

Xia Xuan and the others let out a sigh of relief in unison.

When that man in black had looked over just now, they had even held their breath unconsciously.

"Move!" Xia Xuan whispered sharply.

Only then did the group snap out of their daze, quickly ducking into the alleyway to evacuate.

Half an hour later.

Inside a commercial building three kilometers from the edge of the High-Tech District.

Xia Xuan's team was temporarily resting here.

A team member leaned against the window, checking the rifle magazine in his hand, and suddenly asked in a low voice: "Captain Xia, was that... a human?"

No one answered.

Zou Yue was silent for a moment before speaking: "He should be human; he saved us once."

"But..." the team member opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.

Falling from a height of over twenty stories without a scratch.

Crushing the skull of a monster of that size with bare hands.

Surrounded by a blood-red glow.

None of these things seemed like something a human could accomplish.

Yet, all of it had happened right before their eyes.

Silence spread through the room.

Everything that had occurred.

Undoubtedly pushed everyone's thoughts toward a single possibility...

Within this, or rather, in this world, there was very likely a way to become transcendent.

Materialist thinking began to waver at this moment.

"Captain Xia." At this time, another team member suddenly spoke, "Should we report this?"

Xia Xuan did not answer immediately.

He unscrewed a bottle of water, took a sip, and gazed out at the gray, murky sky outside the window.

Actually, strictly speaking.

That man in black had saved them twice.

The first time on the rooftop, providing relief.

The second time just now, drawing away all the monsters.

And he was not clear on the Federation's attitude toward such existences.

If they reported it now, it was unclear whether it would be a good or bad thing for that mysterious person.

"I didn't see anything just now." Zou Yue suddenly whispered, "I only saw two monsters killing each other."

The group was stunned, then immediately understood what she meant.

Xia Xuan set down the water bottle, his voice calm: "When we get back, check the surveillance of this area. If it's still there, deal with it first."

"If there's a need later on... it won't be too late to report it then."

The group nodded.

Just then, Zhou Ming, who had been silent all this time, suddenly raised his head.

His eyes widened slightly, as if he had recalled something.

That figure... that way of walking...

He suddenly remembered the back of Teacher Jiang as he stood up to pour him a glass of water in the counseling room.

No... that's impossible, right?

Zhou Ming shook his head, casting the absurd thought out of his mind.

Teacher Jiang was just a psychology teacher; how could he possibly be that kind of...

But...

He lowered his head, looking at his hands, which were still trembling slightly.

He had seen that hoodie before.

Meanwhile.

After dragging the corpse of the Mother Spider across several streets, Jiang Ran finally found an office building that looked relatively intact.

He slipped through the shattered glass door into the lobby, dragged the corpse to the stairwell, and after confirming there was no movement on the floors above or below, he finally set the body down and leaned against the wall, gasping for air.

The weakness that followed the end of the Buddha's Wrathful Vajra state surged over him like a tide.

His limbs and bones felt sore and limp, his Blood-Qi nearly dried up.

Only after his breathing steadied did he take out that ball of blue light.

Jiang Ran pulled it out and held it in his palm.

"Activate."

The ball of light suddenly flared, turning into countless blue specks that surged into the center of his brow.

[Congratulations, you have obtained the Heavenly Net Pouch.]

[Heavenly Net Pouch: Refined from the life-bound silk glands of an ancient exotic Human-Faced Spider Mother. It contains a Sumeru space of seventy-five cubic units, capable of storing inanimate objects, accessible via thought.]

The moment the voice sounded, Jiang Ran's eyes lit up.

He opened his palm, and a pale blue pouch the size of a palm lay quietly in his hand.

Cloud patterns flowed faintly across the pouch, and it felt soft and cool to the touch.

Jiang Ran focused his intent, attempting to place a piece of rubble from beside him into it.

The mouth of the pouch opened slightly, and the rubble vanished without a sound.

With another thought, the rubble reappeared in his hand.

"It works!"

A surge of excitement welled up in Jiang Ran's heart.

With this thing, future operations would be far more convenient.

Food, water, equipment, monster materials...

Everything could be carried on his person without adding to his burden.

He immediately placed the Bagua Copper Coin and other items from his waist pouch into the new bag.

Finally, he looked at the massive corpse of the Mother Spider on the ground.

He placed his hand upon it.

The next second, the Mother Spider's corpse vanished without a sound.

"Seventy-five cubic units... that's enough."

He tucked the Heavenly Net Pouch close to his body, leaned against the wall, and completely relaxed.

Exhaustion washed over him like a tide.

Jiang Ran closed his eyes in that position, drifting into a light sleep.

The Blood-Qi Circulation Method began to run slowly through his body on its own, repairing his overexerted frame.

When he opened his eyes again.

The phone screen displayed 9:07 AM.

The feeling of weakness had vanished.

His Blood-Qi had recovered by about eighty percent, effectively bringing him back to full strength.

Jiang Ran stood up and stretched his limbs.

He then walked to the window and lifted a corner of the curtain.

The street was still empty, but a few indistinct roars could be faintly heard in the distance, very far away.

Jiang Ran didn't rush to leave. Instead, he took out his phone and opened Mouhu.

The internet was still usable.

And the top post on the homepage was exactly what Xia Xuan had mentioned to him earlier that morning.

[Federal Announcement: Abyssal Void City Relocation Plan Launched, Safe Zones for Each City Announced (Continuously Updated)]

The poster ID was "Return Void Affairs Coordination Center," with a golden shield badge as its verification mark.

Jiang Ran clicked on the post.

The content was very long.

"To all Return Void Explorers:

Following preliminary investigations, it has been confirmed that the danger levels vary greatly across different regions within the Abyssal Void, with some areas containing creatures or phenomena far exceeding conventional threats.

To ensure the survival rate of all citizens and the efficiency of resource collection, the Federation is launching the City Relocation Plan effective immediately."

"The safe zones designated for each city are now announced as follows. All explorers are advised to move towards their respective city's safe zone as soon as possible.

Armed personnel will be stationed within the safe zones to provide basic shelter, material exchange, and information sharing services."

"Note: Safe zones are not absolutely safe, but the threat level is significantly lower than in the outer areas. Please be mindful of high-risk zones during your relocation..."