Welcome to the Real World!

When Lu Zicheng drove onto the overpass, the first thing he heard was gunfire echoing through the sky.

At that moment, his face darkened. He had thought he would be collecting the boy's body by now.

Yet what he saw next was an unbelievable scene.

A white Volkswagen roared out like some kind of monster, flooring the accelerator and slamming forward, sending an unlucky fellow flying before skidding backward more than ten meters.

The dull impact of flesh against the hood, accompanied by the sound of shattering bones, made everyone's hearts lurch.

Even more shocking was that when the car door opened, the person inside was a bloodied teenager.

His face and build matched the description provided by East Sea Road Police Station exactly!

The one who had been sent flying was actually the out-of-control Fallen!

"God, what the hell did I just see?"

Lu Zicheng muttered in disbelief. "An Ascender fought an ordinary person and got counter-killed?"

How the hell had that happened?

The Parrot squawked sarcastically, "What a noob!"

Chen Qing stood at the edge of the bridge and lifted her beautiful eyes. Her pupils had turned into a pristine white as she observed everything below. "More precisely, that is a Fallen whose inheritance path is Magician. Professor Gu's son seems to be on the verge of awakening."

Lu Zicheng was rather surprised. "A self-awakened Ascender. That's rare."

In Chen Qing's perception, the Fallen who had been struck by the car radiated a nauseating aura, like a puddle of filth.

As for the teenager, he emitted extremely unstable spiritual fluctuations, like boiling magma.

"Yes, he's a very rare self-awakened Ascender."

Chen Qing analyzed calmly, "That out-of-control Fallen should have only recently come into contact with the extraordinary, so he isn't proficient with his abilities. Magician is already relatively weak in the early stages, and without mastery of his abilities, his combat strength would be greatly reduced."

Lu Zicheng nodded slightly and silently took out a cigarette case and lighter from his pocket, lighting a cigarette.

He looked down from above at the scene beneath the bridge, and his gaze softened.

"Anyway, it's good that he's all right."

He exhaled a smoke ring and smiled. "That kid must be scared out of his wits, right? I was the same when I first encountered the extraordinary. Those old geezers in my family deliberately kept it from me. I got chased by a Fallen for more than ten kilometers, then charged headfirst into a police station, hugged an officer's leg, and started crying..."

A faint smile touched Chen Qing's lips. "As long as a normal person doesn't suffer a mental breakdown, that's already pretty good."

"Wait, what is he doing?"

Lu Zicheng stared in astonishment. "Don't tell me..."

Below the bridge, the teenager picked up a small stool and staggered toward the Fallen lying on the ground.

It was like the Thunder God raising his hammer and bringing it down.

The next moment, horrifying dull thuds rang out beneath the overpass.

One after another.

Terrifying beyond belief.

Blood stained the soil red.

Li Changzhi lay sprawled on the ground, convulsing violently. His lower body was practically twisted out of shape, blood flowing everywhere.

Even with such grievous injuries, unconscious growls still came from his throat. He even tried to stretch out his trembling right hand to pick up the fallen pistol.

With a bang.

Accompanied by a sudden heavy blow, his arm was smashed apart with a crisp crack of bone.

Gu Jianlin braced himself on his knees, panting heavily. Yet he raised the small stool again and smashed it down with all his strength!

The dull impact, the cracking of bones, and the screams that followed blended together.

It was enough to make one's scalp crawl.

Li Changzhi's limbs had all been broken, leaving only his shrill screams.

But Gu Jianlin was not done. He raised the stool again and swung it down at the man's lower back!

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

Li Changzhi suffered a brutal barrage of blows. His scream cut off abruptly, as though it had caught in his throat, before he coughed heavily.

Blood gushed out, splattering across the yellowed weeds.

"Phew. That should be safe enough."

Gu Jianlin unfolded the stool and sat down. He picked up the pistol from the ground, and after fiddling with it briefly, he had already familiarized himself with its structure. He casually removed the magazine and checked it.

No more, no less—exactly one bullet remained.

"Now it's my turn to ask questions."

Gu Jianlin reloaded the bullet, stepped on the dying man's back, and pressed the gun against the back of his head.

He was not doing this to humiliate him, but out of caution.

After all, the other party possessed extraordinary abilities. Who knew whether he might launch a final counterattack before dying?

In games, most villains unleashed their ultimate move when they were down to a sliver of health.

"Did you have anything to do with my father's death? What do you know?"

He panted heavily, bloodshot eyes cold as he asked, "Don't play dead. Those hits just now weren't enough to kill you. I'll give you thirty seconds to think. If you don't talk, I don't mind pulling the trigger."

Unexpectedly, Li Changzhi truly did not answer. Instead, he began twitching and spasming.

Blood spilled from his mouth as he coughed incessantly.

Gu Jianlin hesitated slightly, wondering whether he had really hit him too hard.

But he trusted his own judgment. He did not have that much strength; those consecutive heavy blows could never have been fatal.

They should not even have knocked him unconscious.

Gu Jianlin counted down thirty seconds, aiming the gun at the back of the man's head and tightening his finger on the trigger.

Then someone suddenly spoke behind him. "I suggest you don't shoot. He's still useful alive. That man's mind is severely unstable. Even if he were conscious right now, it would be difficult for him to answer your questions."

Gu Jianlin shuddered. At some point, someone had appeared behind him without even making a sound.

He rose alertly, sweeping his arm through the air and pointing the gun at the newcomer.

"Hey, hey, hey. Calm down."

Lu Zicheng raised both hands. He held an identification card in his right hand and smiled. "My name is Lu Zicheng. I'm an Interpol agent. Detective Zhou from East Sea Road Police Station asked me to come rescue you."

Sea-blue eyes, a handsome mixed-race face, a tall and slender build, and a sharp, capable black trench coat.

Most eye-catching of all was the green-feathered Parrot perched on his shoulder.

Beside him stood a cool, glamorous woman in a black business suit, holding a tablet.

Gu Jianlin's heart sank. He had not expected there to be two more people. Rising to his feet, he grabbed the small stool again.

He now had both ranged and melee weapons.

At this moment, he was prepared for the worst. The instant anything seemed wrong, he would strike first.

He would shoot one of them dead, then fight the other to the death with the stool.

Seeing his expression and movements, Lu Zicheng laughed. "Good lord, you're really on guard."

"Hello. Please put down your weapon."

Chen Qing said coldly, "We won't hurt you."

But Gu Jianlin did not buy it at all. He replied icily, "Save it. Ten minutes ago, some guy pretending to be an officer tried to kill me. I'm not believing a word anyone says now. Raise your hands and back up. Don't force me to shoot."

The Parrot rolled its eyes and cried out, "Don't shoot! We're on the same side! Don't shoot! We're on the same side!"

Gu Jianlin froze. This Parrot was surprisingly intelligent.

Lu Zicheng shook his head helplessly and could only retreat step by step with his hands raised.

Chen Qing glanced at him and could only imitate him, raising both hands and backing away.

This kid was a little too aggressive. Who knew whether he might actually fire?

Gu Jianlin was caught in a dilemma.

People were different. Some were as simple as a thin sheet of paper, with only a few lines written on them; one glance was enough to understand them completely. Others were like thick books—obscure, incomprehensible, impossible to fathom.

The man and woman before him were entirely different.

Bullets, firearms, blades.

Law enforcer, assassin, agent, warrior.

Well-trained, decisive, mysterious, elusive.

There were too many traits. He could not tell them apart at all.

The results of profiling them would only interfere with his judgment.

Chen Qing lowered her voice and asked softly, "Young master, what should we do? Should we subdue him directly?"

Lu Zicheng shook his head with an ambiguous smile and said quietly, "I can't guarantee I can subdue this kid without hurting him. Besides, he's ruthless and still on the verge of awakening. What if he suddenly awakens his ability and turns around to shoot one of us?"

He paused. "Look at that stance. He clearly wants to shoot me first, then duel you to the death."

Chen Qing frowned. "Can't you win with speed?"

Lu Zicheng shrugged. "Probably, but I don't know how fast this kid can react. What if I dodge over there and he turns around and shoots you instead?"

Chen Qing kept a stern face and said nothing.

Even an idiot could tell that Lu Zicheng's calm demeanor meant he had a plan.

In truth, Gu Jianlin was not confident either. He felt that these two were extremely dangerous and was already preparing to run.

"I'll call you Little Gu. I was once your father's student. I really am not a bad person."

Lu Zicheng smiled. "Didn't your father mention it? The Ether Association. We're from the Ether Association."

Chen Qing added, "Your father was also a member of the Ether Association. We aren't in the same camp as the person you beat up. More accurately, the Ether Association exists to hunt down those who have fallen into darkness."

The Ether Association!

Gu Jianlin's pupils contracted. This should be the organization of Ascenders he had been looking for.

The last time he had heard that name was in Kirin Immortal Palace.

Even so, he still was not at ease and backed away step by step.

"You just said you were Interpol agents."

Gu Jianlin asked expressionlessly.

Lu Zicheng explained with a smile, "We really are Interpol agents. Every member of the Ether Association needs a plausible identity when operating outside. After all, the secrets of the extraordinary world can't be leaked to ordinary people."

"Since you've already encountered a supernatural incident, we can reveal this much to you for now."

Chen Qing suddenly looked toward the man sprawled on the ground. "Something's wrong."

The black pupils in her beautiful eyes suddenly dispersed, replaced by pure whites. After examining him for a moment, she hurriedly said:

"Careful. Level-three spiritual contamination, severe genetic mutation!"

At that moment, Gu Jianlin was stunned.

The cold, glamorous female assistant before him vanished. In her place stood a figure draped in a white wizard's robe, holding a deadwood staff in one hand and a crystal ball in the other, with a skull necklace around her neck.

She looked like a Witch from Western legend!

What was more, this Witch was exceptionally tall—nearly two meters in height!

"Move aside. If this standoff continues, that guy is going to bite your neck off from behind."

Lu Zicheng's voice sounded calmly. "I originally wanted to keep him alive for questioning, but once he mutates, there's nothing we can do."

Gu Jianlin looked at the man again and was immediately startled.

Because Lu Zicheng had become an ancient warrior clad in pitch-black armor, as if forged from steel. The scales on his skirt armor gleamed with a dim light, while a spear and sword were bound to his back. He looked majestic, fierce, and overbearing.

His figure was enormous, as tall as a two-story building, radiating immense pressure.

Like an illusion, the phantoms of the Witch and warrior vanished without a trace.

The personality portraits from his profiling were replaced by reality.

In the distance, Li Changzhi rose while convulsing. Bruises beneath his skin seeped blood. Though all four of his limbs were broken, he twisted like a malformed insect, bone spikes bursting from all over his body.

He landed on all fours, blood spraying from his grotesque body.

His face had completely deformed, horrifying like that of a giant insect, drool spilling from his mouth.

Gu Jianlin stared in shock and backed away step by step. This thing was no longer something he could possibly fight.

Because beneath Li Changzhi's feet, the ground cracked apart under his stomp.

Boom!

In an instant, he launched himself forward. He slammed into the heavy Volkswagen and flipped it over, sending it rolling across the ground several times with a tortured groan as if it were about to twist apart and break.

Several deep craters were stamped into the ground.

Gu Jianlin only saw a black shadow flash before his eyes. His brain could not react at all.

At the critical moment, Lu Zicheng suddenly stepped forward and stood in front of him.

The wind blew his long black trench coat, making its hem snap and flutter.

The insect monster Li Changzhi had become lunged at them. Its enormous mouthparts split open, carrying a thick, foul stench.

Blood and saliva sprayed everywhere.

Lu Zicheng looked at it indifferently and made an unexpected move.

He raised a hand and snapped his fingers.

Boom!

It was like muffled thunder exploding beneath a clear sky, or compressed air bursting apart.

Ripples spread through the void like water. Countless shockwaves erupted atop one another, thunderous in sound.

Li Changzhi's head exploded at that instant, brains splattering and blood bursting outward.

The headless, malformed corpse collapsed, kicking up dust.

Instant kill!

"..."

Gu Jianlin fell silent. His worldview had just suffered another devastating impact.

"Done."

Lu Zicheng turned around casually. "Now you should believe I'm not a bad guy, right?"

Facts spoke louder than words. Gu Jianlin did not know what to say; the explosive blast from earlier still seemed to echo in his ears.

Buzzing.

"Anyway, welcome to the real world, kid."

Lu Zicheng smiled. "Let me introduce myself again. My name is Lu Zicheng, and my inheritance path is Ancient Martial Arts. This is my assistant, Chen Qing. His inheritance path is Spirit Medium; you can also call him a witch. As you can see, we are Ascenders from the Ether Association."

Gu Jianlin remained silent and quietly dropped the pistol in his hand.

Police sirens came rushing in from every direction.

Detective Zhou's furious voice echoed all around through a loudspeaker.

"Drop your weapon and surrender immediately. You are surrounded. I repeat, you are surrounded! Drop your weapon at once and release the hostage in your hands. This is your only way out!"