Four shots had rung out just now, and everyone nearby had heard them clearly, including the three people Mulan had been watching earlier.
The woman accompanying the boy and girl turned toward the gunfire, curiosity on her face. Valentine did not seem as peaceful as she had imagined.
"Miss, were those gunshots?"
The boy looked around as well and could not help asking. The girl said nothing, but she was just as curious.
The woman nodded.
"Yes. Judging by the sound, the first shot came from a Siegfried Rifle, and the next three were probably from the classic Groom Revolver. All right, gunshots aren't particularly interesting. Keep teaching me that melody."
"Miss, I'm scared of that kind of song..." "Me too..."
"It's fine, it's fine. We're on land. They wouldn't dare come ashore. It would be even better if we attracted Sirens. I'd like to hear them sing."
She continued on with the two youngsters, paying no attention to gunfire that had nothing to do with them. Meanwhile, at the house where the shootout had taken place, passersby had discovered the brutally murdered homeowner and were crying out in alarm.
Elsewhere, Mulan was riding a surge of exhilaration. That had indeed been extremely dangerous, but now that he had survived it, this was his opportunity. Compared with the desperate situation during the original attack, the balance of power between Mulan and the murderer had now reversed.
As he gave chase, Mulan pulled three cartridges from his pocket. He flicked the cylinder out, tipped his left hand to slide the three cartridges into the chambers, then snapped the cylinder back into place, never breaking stride.
Of course, Mulan knew how dangerous it was to pursue an opponent like this, but he felt a fierce thrill he had not experienced in a long time. He also understood that today had offered his opponent an opportunity. Since the man had failed to seize it, that opportunity now belonged to Mulan.
The fleeing attacker was equally tense and keyed up. The gunshot wound in his arm had not healed, and now he had taken another bullet in the leg. Though his pace had not slowed, he dared not let his guard down for even an instant. His opponent's marksmanship was more frightening than he had imagined.
The splashing footsteps behind him drew closer. Mulan had charged into the alley, while the attacker had reached its mouth. In the window of a house opposite, he seemed to catch a distant reflection of Mulan's cold gaze.
Crash!
Rather than turn the corner, the attacker seized the opportunity to dive straight through the window opposite, smashing it as he entered the house. Mulan's newly raised muzzle paused for a moment before he rushed after him.
When Mulan approached the broken window, expecting his opponent to flee through the house once again, muzzle flashes erupted from the dark interior.
Bang, bang, bang!
Another three shots in succession. Even though Mulan had been on his guard, he could not react perfectly in that instant. Bullets whistled past his ear, and one grazed his cheek, leaving a bloody line.
"Aah!"
A scream rose inside, once again preventing Mulan from firing. It was close, coming from an innocent resident of the house. Then came the sound of someone jumping through another window. Instead of following his original route, Mulan turned and pursued through a different alley.
The sky soon darkened. Mulan and the attacker continued their chase, the fugitive never letting up and the pursuer never giving in. This time, there was no clash of blades, only an exchange of gunfire and bullets.
Both men moved quickly. The gunshots had stirred up several neighborhoods, finally alerting the local law enforcement, including the Valentine police. But they could not keep pace with Mulan and the criminal, and could only follow the occasional gunshot and eyewitness reports.
The chase had lasted over half an hour. Mulan deliberately avoided civilians, but his opponent did not. He even attacked them on purpose or used them as shields to buy time. Six or seven civilians had already been killed or wounded.
But Mulan would not abandon the pursuit because of that. He knew full well that if he let someone so vicious escape out of momentary hesitation, the man would commit even more appalling acts in the shadows. He would also pose an enormous threat to Mulan and his family.
Mulan was burning through his stamina. Though his physical capabilities seemed to have improved greatly lately, he was clearly still no match for that psychopath. But he was gambling that his opponent was about to reach his limit too. After all, the man already had a gunshot wound, and now he had been shot in the leg. In such an intense struggle, he had no time to treat either injury. Surely he must have lost a great deal of blood by now.
Mulan's guess was not entirely correct, but it was close. The attacker had tightened his muscles to constrict the wounds, yet blood still steadily seeped out. By now, his face was deathly pale. He was close to collapse, but his expression remained deeply twisted.
The attacker burst into another house with an open door and immediately slammed it shut. Just as the woman of the house was about to scream, he shoved the muzzle into her mouth.
Mulan had reached the house. Gun in hand, he leaned against the wall beside the door, breathing hard. He needed to listen to what was happening inside before deciding his next move and dared not charge in recklessly. Or rather, the man inside had already reached his limit.
"Mulan Jonester, admit it. You and I are the same kind of person. We crave excitement, pursue power, and enjoy the feeling of killing!"
Inside, the attacker gripped the woman's throat with his left hand. Without even looking back, he swung his gun behind him to the right, smashing its butt into the side of her husband's forehead just as the man was raising a wooden club for a surprise attack. The husband swayed and collapsed.
"Mmph, mmph..."
The woman sobbed. Outside, Mulan did not say a word in response.
"Mulan, I know how to find power. I have leads. I can tell you how to surpass human limits. Aren't you tempted?"
Mulan's breathing steadied somewhat, and he called back from beside the door.
"Of course I'm tempted. But you don't even dare face me, and you have the nerve to tell me how to surpass my limits?"
As he spoke, Valentine police officers approached from a distance. Spotting one or two familiar faces, Mulan immediately made a few gestures, signaling for some of them to circle around the back of the house.
"Hahahahaha... Mulan Jonester, can't you see that my physical capabilities far exceed yours? A mere mortal like you has already reached his limit, but I can grow stronger still. If you're willing to trust me, we can enter the realm of the extraordinary. No one in this world will be able to stop us!"
Fucking idiot!
Mulan cursed inwardly while considering his options. If possible, he wanted to keep the innocent people inside from being killed.
"I won't use a gun, and neither will you. Let's duel with sword and knife. Show me just how strong you are. With your arm and leg wounded, can you actually beat me?"
The man inside had not expected Mulan to say that, and a chilling smile spread across his face.
"A fine suggestion. But I don't trust you."
With that, the attacker drew a Boning Knife, slit the throat of his valuable hostage, and rushed upstairs.
The instant Mulan heard the woman fall, he knew something was wrong. He kicked the door open with brute force and saw her lying in a pool of blood.
"Get a doctor, now!"
Mulan shouted to the Valentine officers behind him, then charged upstairs himself. He could already hear a window opening in the attic. Burning with rage, he pursued without hesitation. This bastard had to die today!
But just before he reached the attic, Mulan caught sight of strange patches of darkness gathering and moving across the stairwell wall. They flowed from streams like black ink seeping out from one side of the attic doorway.
He did not understand what those eerie things were, but somehow he felt they were connected to that psychopath. The man had not left the attic to flee across the roof. He was lying in ambush beside the door!
Without a word, Mulan fired straight at that corner.
Bang, bang, bang!
The powerful bullets punched through the partition, and a muffled grunt came from behind it. Hurried footsteps now headed toward the open window, and Mulan immediately followed.
Bang, bang, bang!
The moment Mulan charged into the attic, three shots came at him. One struck his handgun with a clang, knocking the Ring of Light straight out of his hand. It hit the wall and fell to the floor.
Yet Mulan did not pause for an instant. He ducked low and charged forward, drawing the Silver Sword from the cane at his waist with his left hand and thrusting at his opponent.
There were only three or four meters between the attic doorway and the window. Before his opponent could fire a fourth shot, Mulan's sword point pierced his gun hand, making him drop the black handgun. Yet the man reacted at once, viciously clamping his hand around the blade while raising the Boning Knife in his left.
At the same moment, some feeling had returned to Mulan's right hand. Enduring the pain, he seized his opponent's right hand and kicked before the man could slash at him. His foot struck the man's left wrist squarely, knocking the Boning Knife away as well.
I've won!
Victory swelling in his heart, Mulan grabbed his opponent's arm and hurled him into the room with a powerful, fluid shoulder throw.
Crash!
Already at the end of his strength, his opponent slammed into the attic wall and fell into a corner. But Mulan's heart lurched, and he crouched almost immediately, reaching for the black handgun on the floor.
Yet the moment Mulan grabbed the gun, he froze.
His opponent looked utterly battered, but he had already raised a gun and aimed it at Mulan. In his hand was Mulan's own weapon, while Mulan had only managed to lift his gun halfway.
"Hah, cough, cough, urgh... hah, hah... Mulan Jonester, hehehehe... I... won after all!"
But in the next instant, the blood-dribbling psychopath's smile froze. His pupils dilated, and he glanced down at his hand in disbelief.
The trigger wouldn't budge!
Bang!
After that single gunshot, the psychopathic killer's expression remained fixed. Smoke curled from the muzzle of Mulan's gun as he slowly stood and walked over to his opponent, whose forehead now had a hole in it.
"I won!"