Don't Shoot, It's One of Us

Jiang Ran looked at the notification on the panel and slowly stood up.

He walked to the wall and gently threw a punch at the tomb wall built of blue bricks.

Hum...

Faint golden patterns emerged upon his fist.

The Dragon Form aura and the Tiger Fiend Phantom coiled around his arm simultaneously the moment they touched the wall.

The wall was pierced through without a sound.

The edges of the hole were smooth, while the surrounding bricks and stones shattered inch by inch, turning into powder that fell with a rustle.

"This is the qualitative change... after the sublimation of the Dragon-Tiger Fist."

Jiang Ran looked at his own fist and whispered to himself.

Armor-Piercing Dragon Aura is specialized in breaking all kinds of protective divine abilities and hard shells.

Mountain-Crushing Tiger Malice allows the fist force to penetrate the body, shattering internal organs and bones.

Combined, the two are formidable.

Facing Transcendent blood-energy users of the same rank, Jiang Ran even felt...

He could beat them as easily as a father beating his son.

Just then, a slight knocking sound came from outside.

The rubble blocking the stone door was pushed aside. Zhou Yuan stood at the entrance, and when he saw the pitch-black Faceless mask on Jiang Ran's face, his expression couldn't help but freeze, though he quickly returned to normal.

"The path outside has been cleared, and we are preparing to retreat. We will let professional researchers come in later to explore slowly..."

He paused and looked at Jiang Ran: "What are your intentions?"

Jiang Ran pondered for a moment and said softly: "Let's go together."

There was indeed no point in staying here any longer.

What should have been taken had been taken, and those who should have been killed had been killed.

A trace of joy appeared on Zhou Yuan's face as he nodded: "Good."

When the two returned to the main force, the team had already assembled.

Seventy or eighty people had come in, but now only forty-odd remained.

Although the losses were not small, considering that Qian Laojiu and his group were almost completely wiped out, this survival rate had already far exceeded expectations.

The team retreated silently along the cleared passage.

On the way, Manager Sun approached Jiang Ran with a smile on his face.

"Hello."

Jiang Ran turned his head, his gaze calm beneath the mask.

Manager Sun cleared his throat, not feeling awkward, and lowered his voice: "I wonder if you have any intention of selling the Seed of Return to Void in your possession?"

He paused and added: "I know this occasion is not very convenient. If you are willing, we can find a more suitable place to talk... I guarantee I will give you the highest price currently in the industry."

Zhou Yuan, walking ahead, heard this but did not stop them; he only slowed his pace slightly.

Jiang Ran, however, was a bit confused.

Where would he have a Seed of Return to Void?

And how did the other party know?

Seeing that Jiang Ran did not speak, Manager Sun reminded him: "Qian Laojiu's group killed a corpse in the tomb chamber at the very beginning, and his men found a Seed of Return to Void."

Jiang Ran realized then.

He took out the miscellaneous items scavenged from Qian Laojiu and the others from the Heavenly Net Pouch.

Sure enough, he found a Seed of Return to Void in a small leather bag.

Manager Sun's eyes lit up, and he immediately said: "To be honest with you, this item is priceless and hard to find right now; a single seed can often be auctioned for tens of millions... or even more. But for you, this seed has already lost its use."

Jiang Ran nodded slightly.

The other party was right.

Each person can only use the Seed of Return to Void once; since he had already used one, holding another was indeed just for show.

But... for others.

It was still a ticket to enter the ranks of the Transcendents.

Jiang Ran put the Seed of Return to Void back into the Heavenly Net Pouch and said softly:

"Sorry, not for sale."

After saying this, he quickened his pace and walked forward, not giving Manager Sun another chance to speak.

Manager Sun stood where he was, looking at Jiang Ran's back, and sighed softly.

Although a Seed of Return to Void is important...

But his primary purpose in speaking up was not actually for the seed itself.

Rather, he wanted to use this opportunity to establish a connection.

Now it seems that this mysterious expert has no intention of cooperating whatsoever.

Arriving at the front of the team, Jiang Ran had just stood still when Zhou Yuan turned around, pulled a business card from his pocket, and handed it over.

"Mr. Jiang."

He weighed his words carefully: "If you ever have the thought of joining the Federation in the future, you can contact me at any time."

Jiang Ran took the business card.

It had a black background with silver lettering, printed with the two characters for Zhou Yuan, a phone number below, and an emblem.

A sword and an olive branch were crossed, surrounded by stars.

"Currently, we have established several organizations for Transcendents."

Zhou Yuan explained, "For example, the Fire-Kindling Academy is mainly responsible for training and education. The Deep Realm Inspection Team, which is the department I belong to, is responsible for the deep exploration of the Abyss. The Abyss Hunting Committee specializes in dealing with Exotic Beasts and extreme threats. The Order Purification Center is responsible for handling malicious incidents in the Safe Zone and reality..."

He paused, his tone sincere: "These organizations have many freelance positions specifically for talents like you to join.

You don't need to work regular hours; you only assist in handling certain tasks when necessary.

The compensation and authority are quite high."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ran nodded: "If there is an opportunity in the future, I will consider it."

Putting the business card away, he did not speak again.

The team soon walked out of the tomb passage.

They returned to the foot of Cuiping Mountain.

Outside, the sky was approaching dusk, and the setting sun dyed the mountain ridge a golden red.

Several military off-road vehicles were parked at the temporary command base.

Zhou Yuan invited Jiang Ran to ride back to the Safe Zone together.

Since Jiang Ran also needed to go back to find Wang Zhenguo, he did not refuse.

The vehicle drove along the bumpy mountain road.

Jiang Ran sat in the back seat, closing his eyes to rest.

He gestured lightly with his hand, contemplating the variability of Lotus Brilliance.

When fighting the old man, he had thought of condensing his entire body's energy and blood into a single point, striking out like a cannonball.

But clearly, in that kind of close-quarters combat environment, this line of thinking was wrong; the aftermath of the explosion would severely backfire on himself.

So, in close-quarters grappling, the correct usage might perhaps be...

To let the energy of Lotus Brilliance erupt toward the target in a more concentrated manner?

Just like compressing the fan-shaped explosion from omnidirectional to directional?

He simulated the path of his energy and blood flow, and a faint red light flickered at his fingertips.

The driver in front was already covered in sweat at this moment.

He kept glancing at the heart-palpitating red light flowing in Jiang Ran's hand through the rearview mirror, his heart beating rapidly.

He was terrified that this master might accidentally blow the entire car, along with himself, into the sky.

Just then...

"Whoosh!!!"

The roar of a fighter jet suddenly came from ahead, moving from far to near.

Immediately following, Zhou Yuan's voice sounded urgently over the vehicle's radio.

"Stop! There is combat ahead!!"

The driver slammed on the brakes!

The tires screeched against the road surface, and Jiang Ran's body leaned forward slightly, snapping him out of his state of deduction.

He raised his head and looked ahead.

He saw that on the street a hundred meters away, dust was flying, and the sounds of gunfire and explosions were incessant.

Several armored vehicles were chasing two sprinting figures, and the fully armed soldiers on the vehicles were firing their guns.

In the sky, two Armed Helicopters were hovering at low altitude, their machine guns spitting tongues of fire from time to time, blasting craters into the ground.

And those two being chased...

One of them was covered in black hair and had a tall build; it was exactly the kind of Hairy Person he had killed in the basement.

The other was covered in green hair, and as it ran, its body was wrapped in gray-black energy, moving at such high speed that it could actually manage to dodge the gunfire.

The troops are chasing and killing Hairy Person?

A sense of absurdity rose in Jiang Ran's heart.

But it wasn't just Jiang Ran who found it ridiculous...

The mental states of the two individuals at this moment were also on the verge of collapse.

Young Master Green-Hair's expression was ugly to the extreme.

As he rolled in a disheveled manner to dodge a barrage of machine-gun fire, he growled at the Hairy Person beside him:

"What on earth are these things?! Why are they completely different from the mortal weapons recorded in the books?!"

He was referring to the black wooden sticks in the hands of the soldiers on the armored vehicles behind them, as well as the iron birds in the sky that could fly and spit out projectiles.

Not a single word about these contraptions had been mentioned in the archives.

The Hairy Person beside him was already wounded in several places and replied while gasping for air:

"Apologies, Young Master... Before Bo died, he did not transmit any information regarding the weapons of this world."

Young Master Green-Hair's eyes were so gloomy they seemed ready to drip water.

They had tracked Bo's aura here through special means, intending to build a Jingguan with blood sacrifices to force out the murderer who killed Bo.

Who would have thought that the moment they appeared, they would be besieged by these mortals wielding strange weapons.

Those pebbles were incredibly fast and possessed decent power; some special ones could even explode!

Not to mention those two iron birds in the sky...

He could not delay any longer.

His gaze swept across the front, spotting the halted convoy.

A fierce glint flashed in Young Master Green-Hair's eyes as he hissed: "Capture them!"

As luck would have it, Jiang Ran had chosen the first vehicle for speed.

When Young Master Green-Hair's gaze met that pure black mask, his heart skipped a beat for no reason.

That pure black mask...

Gave him a strange feeling.

But there was no time to think; gray energy erupted from his body, his speed increased, and he lunged straight for the first vehicle.

Watching the opponent's energy, Jiang Ran was completely certain...

The one before him was a Hairy Person.

And likely a leader-level figure among the Hairy Person.

Perfect; the new line of thought regarding Lotus Brilliance he had been deducing in the car could now be tested in actual combat.

He unbuckled his seatbelt, pushed open the door, and nimbly leaped onto the hood of the car, facing the Young Master Green-Hair who was charging over while wrapped in fierce, malevolent energy.

Jiang Ran slowly pulled his right fist to his waist, took a short breath, and his crimson blood-energy began to surge and converge.

Lotus Brilliance manifested once more upon his fist.

Only this time, the center of the budding Lotus Brilliance was pressed tightly against his knuckles, its accumulated edge pointing straight ahead.

Facing Young Master Green-Hair, who was already roaring as he charged to the front.

Jiang Ran exhaled, twisted his waist, and drove his hips forward.

He thrust his right fist straight ahead.

The moment he threw the punch, the blood-colored Lotus Brilliance on his knuckles suddenly bloomed right before his eyes, following the momentum of the strike!

BOOM!!!

That flash of red light instantly swallowed Young Master Green-Hair, who was already within arm's reach.

Its momentum did not diminish, continuing to spread backward.

It engulfed the Hairy Person who was following closely behind, his face filled with horror.

The red light even continued to surge forward.

After washing over the shop windows and walls along the street, the glass shattered and bricks and stones flew everywhere.

The light persisted for several seconds before slowly dissipating.

Where Young Master Green-Hair had stood, only a charred corpse remained.

And further away, the side of the street-side shops facing the road was left in a complete mess.

Jiang Ran slowly retracted his fist, standing on the hood with a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.

Not bad...

This is the correct way to use a finishing move in close-quarters combat.

And after a brief silence.

A shout from Zhou Yuan came immediately from the back of the convoy.

"Don't shoot! Don't shoot!!"

"Friendly fire, it's all friendly fire!!!"