The popcorn gallery

"Uh, this was all Lin Qiye's idea!" Shen Qingzhu stood less than five meters from Wang Mian in a straight line. That was well within killing range.

He might have been a little cocky, but he wasn't stupid. This was no time to provoke his opponent.

Not far away, Lin Qiye and the other three stopped fighting.

"This... this is the Lamp Realm?!" Molly was dumbfounded. "Why does cutting through a building look easier than slicing tofu for Wang Mian?"

"He really is a bit overpowered!" Lin Qiye felt helpless. Against absolute power, every scheme was meaningless.

"Hahaha, give up, brats!" Vortex planted his hands on his hips and tipped his nose into the air, gloating.

"No way!" Molly flatly refused, gripping her katana and slashing at Vortex.

"Holy crap, you're still fighting?!"

"We've been fighting all day. Take a break, lady!"

Vortex tried to talk her down as he blocked. He was tired.

Just then, Moon Ghost, who had been waiting for an opening, struck. He reversed his grip on his short sword, intending to knock Molly unconscious. Once he dealt with the recruits' few leaders, this game would be over.

"Molly, behind you!"

Lin Qiye warned her the instant his mental perception picked it up, but he was too late.

At that critical moment, golden sword light swept in from the distant sky, like a celestial river cascading down.

Beneath the blood-red heavens, a figure stood atop an auspicious cloud, holding a huge broom. Perhaps it was the angle, but Molly thought her rescuer looked a lot like the Great Sage Equal to Heaven from the myths. In any case, he looked incredibly cool.

The newcomer shouted righteously, "You sneaky bastard! Don't you dare hurt Molly!"

Like a god descending to earth, Baili Pangpang drove Moon Ghost back once again.

"Goddammit, why is it you again, you cheating bastard?!" Moon Ghost appeared and pointed at Baili Pangpang, cursing furiously. All one could say was that cheaters were the natural enemy of sneaky bastards.

"Qiye, leave this to me!"

Baili Pangpang jumped off the cloud formed by [Yao Guang]. The sword light filling the sky took a sharp turn and hurtled toward Tian Ping all at once.

"I'm counting on you!"

Lin Qiye turned and sprinted straight toward Wang Mian.

By now, the recruits had been almost completely wiped out. After all that fighting, it still came down to these few people.

"Cao Yuan, if you're still alive, get moving!"

"Knock that woman's mask off!" Lin Qiye shouted toward the ruins.

As his words fell, black baleful energy spilled out between the broken chunks of the building. From a distance, it looked like a black fountain.

An unparalleled aura of slaughter enveloped the entire battlefield.

Boom-!

Following the deafening crash, an arm wreathed in flames of baleful energy burst out. Then the rubble shook violently, and a "monster," half human and half demon, crawled out.

Black baleful energy wove itself into a suit of eerie armor. Cao Yuan's lips curled into a grin, and a wisp of white smoke escaped his mouth. His sinister, blood-red eyes fixed on the distance, sending chills down everyone's spine.

At that moment, Lin Qiye began to question his decision.

"Roooar-!" Cao Yuan let out a beastlike growl.

At the same time, several recruits crawled out of the rubble beside him. They were practically pressed against Cao Yuan-and against hell itself.

Cao Yuan attacked, prioritizing the nearest targets.

The dust-covered recruits looked utterly bewildered. Watching the killing blade descend, they screamed in terror.

Sensing something was wrong, Lin Qiye and Wang Mian moved at the same time.

Lives were at stake. Every other fight was meaningless now.

"Mom, I don't want to die!"

The recruit right beside Cao Yuan clutched his head in terror, crying and screaming.

Suddenly, an arm broke through the rubble and clamped firmly onto Cao Yuan's blade.

"Stop screaming!"

"As long as I'm here, no one's going to die!"

Wang Quan's lazy voice rang out. He slowly stood up, not a speck of dust on him, as though the wreckage around him didn't exist.

"What the hell!"

"Why the hell are you here?!" Wang Mian couldn't help swearing.

Wang Quan yawned and explained leisurely, "I saw you all heading over to the dorms, so I figured I'd come watch the show. But it was so boring that I fell asleep."

"And then, well, you can see for yourselves!"

"Fuck!"

"Which bastard demolished the building?!"

Still holding Cao Yuan's blade firmly, Wang Quan grumbled and cursed.

"Your daddy here did it. Got a problem with that?!" Wang Mian glared at Wang Quan. "You're something else. You can sleep anywhere. I give up!"

"Roooar-!"

Unable to pull his blade free, the berserk Cao Yuan grew furious. He simply let go and threw a straight punch at Wang Quan.

"Young man, you really shouldn't be so hotheaded!"

Wang Quan caught Cao Yuan's fist and promptly treated everyone to a demonstration of swinging a sledgehammer.

A series of heavy crashes echoed over the ruins, and Cao Yuan soon returned to normal.

Before anyone noticed, a square table had appeared in front of Wang Quan, piled with sunflower seeds, chips, and other snacks.

"What are you staring at?!"

"Keep going!"

He sat down as though no one else were around, pulling the bewildered Cao Yuan down with him.

"I'm tired too!" Shen Qingzhu picked up a large piece of a broken roof beam and sat beside the square table. "You two carry on!"

"Go, Captain!" Rose ran over and picked up a bag of chips. "Lifting my mask to eat doesn't count as breaking the rules, right?"

"It's not like your mask fell off. Do whatever you want!"

"Oh yeah!"

"Time to watch the show!"

Baili Pangpang and the others, still locked in a fierce fight, noticed their teammates slacking off in the distance. The five exchanged glances and put away their weapons together.

"I'm starving!" Vortex rubbed his stomach and raced toward Wang Quan.

"Just leave it to the captain!"

"Exactly!"

Tian Ping and Moon Ghost spoke with smiles.

"Molly, you're not hurt, are you?" Baili Pangpang sidled up to Molly and asked with concern.

"What the hell is it to you?!" Looking disgusted, Molly walked toward the spectators without looking back. After a few steps, she stopped, her tone cool. "I'm fine. Thanks for earlier!"

"Of course, I'm only being polite. I absolutely hate rich boys like you!"

Baili Pangpang froze for a moment, then broke into a goofy grin, repeating to himself, Molly answered me! Hahaha!

I'm so happy!

"Molly, wait for me!"

"Who's waiting for you, you fat jerk?!"

Except for Wang Mian and Lin Qiye, both sides' teammates had all stopped fighting.

"Seriously, could you show a little responsibility?"

"The fight isn't over yet!" Lin Qiye looked at everyone and snapped.

"You can do it! You're our God's Agent!" Baili Pangpang bent his arm and raised his fist, his words sincere.

"That's right!"

"Go, Proxy!"

"Qiye, I'll always support you!" Cao Yuan looked utterly serious.

Lin Qiye: (￢_￢)

"Hahaha, this is delicious! I was starving!" With a chicken drumstick in his left hand and a pig's trotter in his right, Vortex gnawed away happily. Partway through, he wiped the grease from his mouth and looked at Wang Mian. "Go, Captain! You're the strongest!"

"Captain, I'll always support you!" Rose added between bites of chips.

"Go, Captain!"

"You can do it! You're definitely going to win, Captain!"

"Come on, everyone, cheers!" Wang Quan raised his cola and called out.

Everyone followed suit, raising their drinks:

"Cheers!!!"

Wang Mian: ヽ(#`Д´)ノ