First Battle

How could Ou Xiangrong appear at Songhai University? And why was he with Xu Yingying?

How did he dare show his face at Songhai University when he was a wanted man by the official organization? Was he bold because of his skills, or was there something wrong with his brain?

Zhang Yuanqing's body went taut. He stopped in his tracks and said to the classmates beside him:

"You guys go on ahead, I need to make a call."

Better call for backup first. He walked to the side of the road, pulled out his phone, and dialed Li Dongze's number.

"I'm sorry, the number you have dialed is powered off."

The automated voice confirmed the phone was off.

He tried calling Guan Ya, but her phone was off as well.

A meeting? Deploying for an operation? Or perhaps they're already lurking near Songhai University? Various guesses flashed through Zhang Yuanqing's mind.

If it were the latter, then there was nothing for him to do. But if they were unreachable because of a meeting, Ou Xiangrong, as a wanted criminal, wouldn't stay at Songhai University for long. It would be a pity to miss this chance.

Thinking of this, Zhang Yuanqing opened his contacts and dialed Wang Tai's number.

Thanks to his social habits, he had saved Wang Tai's number, even though this guy didn't like to talk or socialize, and every time he tried to strike up a conversation, he was met with a micro-expression that screamed, "Get lost, don't bother me."

"What is it?" Wang Tai's listless voice came through the speaker.

"I've spotted Ou Xiangrong, the murderer who killed Zhao Yingjun. You know about this case, right?"

"I do. But why are you contacting me? You should be contacting the Squad Leader." Wang Tai's tone was as calm as ever.

Shouldn't you be saying something like "Holy crap, that's insane"? You're way too composed, Zhang Yuanqing thought, complaining internally while saying:

"I can't reach the Squad Leader or the Old Driver."

"Who is the Old Driver?"

"That's not the point." Zhang Yuanqing briefly explained the situation and asked, "Can you contact Spirit Realm Walkers from other squads?"

"I can." Wang Tai's keyboard clattered as he typed.

"I've pulled up the case file on Zhao Yingjun. He kept many female college students, one of whom is at your school—Xu Yingying. Based on what you've reported, I suspect he's trying to find a breakthrough through the women around Zhao Yingjun."

So Xu Yingying's sugar daddy was Zhao Yingjun. No wonder the police officers came knocking yesterday, Zhang Yuanqing realized.

Wang Tai continued:

"Ou Xiangrong is a Level 3 Bewitching Demon burdened with evil power. He was severely wounded in yesterday's ambush, so his threat level has dropped significantly, but he is still not someone you can contend with."

"I've analyzed it for you: the correct course of action is to keep an eye on him and wait for official backup. You can use your Night Roaming skill to harass him appropriately, but do not engage in close combat, or you will die a miserable death."

He may not be good at socializing, but he's quite reliable when it comes to getting things done. Zhang Yuanqing pretended to look at the scenery while using the flow of the crowd to tail Ou Xiangrong and Xu Yingying from a distance.

"If I can't reach the Squad Leader and Guan Ya, are they deployed near Songhai?" Zhang Yuanqing asked with anticipation.

"No. Xu Yingying is just an ordinary college student with no value. As for Ou Xiangrong... his mental state is already unstable," Wang Tai said. "That classmate of yours is a dead woman."

Given Ou Xiangrong's cruelty, he would certainly leave no witnesses.

At that moment, Zhang Yuanqing saw Ou Xiangrong "escorting" Xu Yingying into the underground parking garage of the complex building.

The two walked down the steep slope and disappeared from sight.

"They've entered the garage. I'll stop here—notify the members of the other squads as soon as possible."

Without waiting for a response, Zhang Yuanqing hung up.

This place was too secluded; he couldn't use passersby as cover like before. If he followed them into the underground garage, he would definitely be spotted.

Zhang Yuanqing pondered for a few seconds, took off his backpack, and tossed it into the bushes by the roadside. He then triggered the Lunar Power within his body. A phantom black mist exploded with a "poof," and his figure was forcibly erased.

After activating Night Roaming, he sprinted into the underground parking garage.

With the Red Dancing Shoes and the Night Roaming skill, even if he couldn't defeat Ou Xiangrong, escaping wouldn't be a problem.

Therefore, it was worth the risk.

Even though Xu Yingying was a gold-digger, she was still a living human being.

If it was within his power, Zhang Yuanqing wouldn't stand by and watch someone die. Besides, the sooner a lunatic like Ou Xiangrong was dealt with, the sooner things would be peaceful.

He didn't need to deliberately hide his footsteps, as the Night Roaming state masked the sounds he made and even suppressed his body heat.

As soon as he rushed into the underground garage, he heard Xu Yingying's trembling voice, laced with tears:

"I—I don't know where the things you're looking for are. I was only with Zhao Yingjun for his money. He gave me twenty thousand a month, so I became his girlfriend..."

Tw—twenty thousand? Before I even got a permanent position, my monthly salary was only twenty thousand. You have it way too easy, Zhang Yuanqing thought. He followed the sound and saw Xu Yingying pressed against the wall in terror behind a black sedan, while Ou Xiangrong stood to the side, holding a knife.

"Don't tell me you don't know. Don't tell me you don't know..."

Ou Xiangrong's eyes were fierce, and he muttered in a neurotic, low voice.

"I'll give you one last chance. Did Zhao Yingjun ever reveal any information about the Holy Grail or the Roster to you?"

"I—I really don't know what you're talking about." Xu Yingying's eyes were bloodshot, and large tears rolled down her cheeks.

Ou Xiangrong was silent for a few seconds, and a weary sigh echoed through the underground garage.

His pupils glowed with a scarlet light, and the expression beneath his mask turned savage and insane. With a hint of neurosis, he muttered:

"I gave you a chance, but you didn't take it. I gave you a chance, but you didn't take it."

Ou Xiangrong's calloused hands clamped around Xu Yingying's fair neck, his thick arm hoisting her into the air. Her face flushed a deep red, then turned purple, her legs kicking wildly as her eyes rolled back.

Ou Xiangrong revealed a sinister, delighted grin, then brought the tip of his blade to rest against Xu Yingying's chest.

Just as he intended to plunge the blade into the woman's heart, his Bewitching Demon intuition suddenly signaled danger, the hairs on the back of his hands standing on end.

There was no one nearby, no movement, no anomaly.

Yet, he felt a chill from the depths of his soul; an unpredictable danger was closing in, shrouding him.

Spirit Realm Walker!

The experienced Ou Xiangrong immediately realized he was being ambushed by a Spirit Realm Walker. Still gripping Xu Yingying's neck, he relied on instinct to hurl her violently backward.

Thwack! Xu Yingying hit the ground hard, rolled several meters, and fell unconscious.

Seeing the attacker had not stopped to save the woman, Ou Xiangrong retreated with a rapid thud-thud-thud, simultaneously swinging his Willow Blade in front of him.

The sharp blade carved a bright arc through the air, and a sharp clang rang out in the void ahead, accompanied by dazzling sparks.

He had struck the opponent's weapon.

Using the tactile feedback from the collision, Ou Xiangrong gauged the enemy's position. He instantly tensed his leg muscles, springing forward like a coiled wire, knees bent for a flying strike.

With a muffled thud, Ou Xiangrong felt his knees connect with a solid target, and a grunt of pain from the ambusher echoed in his ears.

Immediately after, a figure "flew" out of the void—a young college student in sweatpants and a baseball jacket, with handsome features and a sunny disposition, clutching a half-arm-length Brass Pestle.

"Night Wanderer?"

In an instant, Ou Xiangrong understood why last night's ambush had come so quickly.

He understood who was behind the near-fatal encirclement.

In his current state of Berserk, his eyes flashed with malice and hatred, a murderous intent and desire for revenge surging toward the Night Wanderer before him.

Ou Xiangrong leaped into the air with his Willow Blade, his immense jumping power carrying him over a dozen meters as he viciously pounced on the still-rolling college student.

His aura was as fierce as a humanoid tyrannosaur.

Seeing this, Zhang Yuanqing nearly shouted: Sorry to bother you, spare me, hero!

He didn't try to stand up, instead rolling with his momentum while channeling the Lunar Power to enter the Night Wanderer state once more.

Mid-roll, he abruptly vanished from Ou Xiangrong's field of vision, and the Bewitching Demon lost his target.

After dodging the pounce, the invisible Zhang Yuanqing hunched over and sprinted to a white car on the left, pressing his back against the tire and gasping for air.

That knee strike just now had nearly stopped his heart.

"That hurt like hell."

The pain in his chest turned his face pale, and even breathing felt agonizing. Fortunately, a Night Wanderer possessed strong vitality and considerable self-healing, so this injury would soon subside.

But through that brief exchange, Zhang Yuanqing realized the gap in their strength.

This Bewitching Demon possessed keen intuition and rich combat experience, and his physical strength was immense; he was clearly a melee-type profession.

Just then, he heard a thump as Ou Xiangrong leaped onto the roof of a black sedan a few meters away.

Ou Xiangrong's ruthless eyes scanned the underground parking garage, his tone icy:

"A Night Wanderer from the Taiyi Sect shouldn't be in Songhai. Are you a Night Wanderer from the Five Elements Alliance?"

"Hmph, a mere Level 1 Night Wanderer, daring to ambush me. Let me think—a Level 1 Night Wanderer skill won't keep you hidden for more than twenty seconds. How long can you hide?"

Ou Xiangrong was certain the opponent was a Level 1 Night Wanderer; if he were Level 2, he wouldn't have gained the upper hand in that exchange.

And if he were Level 3, he would be the one running now.

Severely wounded and weak, he couldn't defeat a Night Wanderer of the same level; Night Wanderers, like Bewitching Demons, were top-tier professions.

Twenty seconds? You overestimate me; I can only manage ten at most. Zhang Yuanqing huddled by the car tire, holding his breath.

This guy is ridiculously strong, and he hasn't even used his Bewitching Demon skills yet. Let me think about the abilities of a Bewitching Demon.

He recalled the intelligence on the official forum regarding Bewitching Demons.

This Evil Profession possessed formidable combat capabilities at the Extraordinary stage; after killing someone, they would enter a Berserk state, further enhancing their combat prowess.

Furthermore, once a fight broke out, a Bewitching Demon could Mark the opponent with a special method; even if the prey escaped, they would pursue them relentlessly.

Finally, there was the core ability of the Extraordinary stage—Bewitch!

Bewitch was a mental control skill. When activated in tandem with their superior melee combat skills, it was practically unsolvable.

At that moment, the ten seconds ended, and his figure materialized.

The next instant, a whistling sound tore through the air right by his ear. Zhang Yuanqing's heart tightened, knowing Ou Xiangrong's attack had arrived. He didn't even dare to look, instead diving into a forward roll and turning invisible again.

CRASH!

A deep dent was carved into the body of the white sedan by a whip kick, and the car alarm blared piercingly.

Ou Xiangrong scanned his surroundings with cold, sharp eyes, maintaining his guard while using words to provoke his opponent:

"Looking at you, you're a student at Songhai University, right? Do you know that for a Spirit Realm Walker, exposing your identity means bringing disaster upon your family? Now that I know you're a student, I can take my time to find you, kill you, and then wipe out your entire family."

After saying this, Ou Xiangrong gripped the Willow Blade in his hand, silently counting down in his heart, waiting for the rookie to reveal himself or launch an attack.

Zhang Yuanqing's heart sank.

Although he knew the other party was using a provocation tactic, he had to admit that he was already starting to get angry and was indeed feeling a strong sense of wariness.

Hiding behind the rear of another car, Zhang Yuanqing's brain raced as he pondered a strategy to deal with his enemy.

This guy's intuition is terrifying. If I can't land a one-hit kill, I shouldn't risk a sneak attack. But I can't stay hidden forever; my stamina can only support me using Night Roaming two more times at most, after which I'll have no choice but to flee, and the official personnel won't be able to arrive in such a short time.

If I let this guy escape, Grandma and the others will be in danger.

The Bewitching Demon has three skills: Berserk, Mark, and Bewitch. The first one is out of the question since I'm not killing anyone. As for the second, I've likely already been marked, but Night Roaming can mask his perception.

What I really need to be wary of is his close-quarters combat ability and his Bewitch skill. Sigh, if only it were nighttime right now.

As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Zhang Yuanqing had already formulated a plan.

That was to let the Red Dancing Shoes act as the main damage dealer, while the useless master provided support from the side, waiting for an opportunity to launch a sneak attack.

It was the perfect chance to test the combat capabilities of this rule-type item.

"Bang!" Ou Xiangrong leaped onto the roof of a car once again, looking down at the underground parking garage from his vantage point.

He counted the time silently, waiting for the enemy to drop out of the Night Roaming state, when he suddenly heard the eerie sound of footsteps behind him.

These sudden footsteps echoed through the empty garage, causing even the experienced Ou Xiangrong to feel a chill in his heart. He reflexively turned around with his blade, assuming a defensive stance.

Then, he saw the source of the eerie footsteps.

It was a pair of brand-new Western-style Red Dancing Shoes, three meters away from him, rising and falling in the empty, quiet space as if an invisible person were wearing them and marching in place.

This scene was so sinister and terrifying that it would have made an ordinary person's legs go weak and scream out loud.

A supernatural item?

At the same time Ou Xiangrong saw the Red Dancing Shoes, a message appeared in his field of vision:

[Would you like to dance with me? If you are willing, please march in place.]