Witch Cicada?
Taken literally, did that mean a cicada that wielded witchcraft?
Xu Le studied its form from behind. Its wings did indeed resemble a cicada's.
Its white clothes trembled slightly, looking much like a cicada's shell.
Was it human? Or a cicada?
It was definitely an Oddity, but what did "patrol-class polluter" mean?
And at that level, even Golden Toad might not be able to handle it!
Golden Toad called himself a god, too. Were gods only level 3?
When his gaze shifted to the hand it had been keeping out of sight, his pupils abruptly contracted.
Xu Le had excellent eyesight. From this distance, he could clearly see half a corpse clutched in the Witch Cicada's hand.
The corpse was a mangled mess of flesh and blood, its features impossible to make out.
But judging by the ID badge on its chest, this person must have been a teacher at the university.
Even the teachers were being killed?
What on earth had happened to Lighthouse University?
More seriously, what had happened to the Lighthouse itself?
This was the finest institution in the entire Lighthouse. Its teaching district was supposedly one of the safest places in the city.
Yet now an Oddity stood brazenly in front of a teaching building, killing the teachers here.
Even if the Black Tide had arrived early, surely things shouldn't have come to this?
What was going on? Where were the other guards? Where were the Night Watchers?
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Several explosions in the distance caught Xu Le's attention, as well as that of the two Oddities before him.
Upon hearing the explosions, the Witch Cicada and Five Heads flew toward them.
Xu Le watched silently for a while. Only after confirming that there really were no Oddities left nearby did he slowly uncover Wang Man's mouth.
"All right, let's go."
Xu Le turned to Wang Man, only to discover that her face was bright red as she pressed against his chest.
"What is it now?"
Wang Man's eyes were brimming with tears, as though she were about to cry.
"Xu Le, down there..."
Xu Le was speechless.
He was at a loss himself. After sneaking a glance down, he immediately felt that his little brother had let him down.
He bent forward slightly, and the atmosphere grew awkward.
About thirty seconds later, Xu Le finally straightened up again.
"All right, let's go."
"That fast?" Wang Man suddenly sounded curious.
Xu Le was utterly baffled.
What did that have to do with anything? What were you talking about? How could this woman be so... annoying?
Xu Le walked ahead, withdrawing into himself, while Wang Man followed right behind him.
"Xu Le, wait for me!"
Watching his back, Wang Man pressed her lips together and giggled.
She hadn't seen Five Heads earlier, but she had seen the Witch Cicada very clearly.
Although she didn't know what kind of Oddity it was, she had gotten a clear look at the teacher's corpse in its hand.
The teachers at Lighthouse University were no ordinary people.
They were all at least level 2 experts, and some were even level 2 Warlocks.
An Oddity capable of killing a teacher couldn't possibly be below level 2.
So although Xu Le had gotten hard just now, what he had actually been doing was protecting her.
Wang Man could tell the difference.
Alternating between walking and running, Xu Le finally reached the A7 Classroom, with Wang Man following behind him.
Only one teacher stood guard outside the classroom, a greatsword strapped to his back.
He still wore his teacher's ID badge, but had changed into combat gear, looking imposing and heroic.
That wasn't what Xu Le focused on, though. He was more concerned about why there was only one teacher here.
Although the teacher looked formidable, he didn't seem to measure up to the Witch Cicada from earlier.
Had the university's defenses really grown this weak?
"Sir," the two called out in unison.
Zhang Zhe, the teacher guarding the A7 Classroom, visibly paused when he saw them.
His gaze lingered on Xu Le in particular.
"You're here. You, go inside first. You, stay outside."
The teacher at the door pointed to Wang Man, but had Xu Le remain outside.
Wang Man might have been a little slow on the uptake, but she wasn't stupid.
After a brief hesitation, she realized that Zhang Zhe wasn't letting Xu Le in.
"Hey, what about Xu Le?"
"Go inside first. The rest is none of your concern."
"No. Xu Le just saved me, and twice at that."
"Go inside now."
Zhang Zhe's attitude hardened. Wang Man looked at him, then at Xu Le, unsure what to do.
Zhang Zhe was a retired Night Watcher with extensive combat experience.
Xu Le was drenched in sweat, and both his clothes and the weapon in his hand showed clear signs of combat.
So from his very first look at Xu Le, Zhang Zhe knew that the two of them had probably already been through a fight.
Wang Man was in better condition, with no obvious injuries and no trace of Guyinduo pollutants.
That was why he had let her in.
Xu Le was another matter. He had scrapes all over his body, some still stained with blood.
There was a large bloodstain on his chest, and more on his neck.
It was a mass of crimson, impossible to tell whether the blood was his own or an Oddity's.
The aura of Guyinduo was practically bursting out of him. In this state, Zhang Zhe certainly couldn't let him inside.
If Xu Le mutated during tonight's Black Tide, disaster would follow.
It would be like letting a tiger loose among sheep, impossible to contain.
Zhang Zhe wasn't trying to single Xu Le out, but for everyone else's safety, he had to keep him outside.
"Wang Man, go inside," Xu Le said at last.
"Can I stay?"
Wang Man looked at him pleadingly, but his gaze suddenly turned cold.
"Go inside."
Seeing Xu Le's cold expression, Wang Man grew a little frightened.
Although they had only been together for a short time, she had already realized that the Xu Le before her was worlds apart from the one she had known.
At his insistence, she could only obediently enter the classroom.
"Okay!"
Seeing Wang Man go inside of her own accord, Zhang Zhe breathed a sigh of relief. Xu Le did the same.
"Thanks."
Zhang Zhe thanked Xu Le. A teacher thanking a student over such a small matter took Xu Le somewhat by surprise.
"There's no need, sir. I know you're looking out for them."
"Uh."
Xu Le had taken the words right out of his mouth. Zhang Zhe found it a little strange, but smiled anyway.
His previously rather cold expression softened as well.
"Although I can't let you inside, you can stay here. My strength doesn't amount to much compared with the Warlocks', but until I die, I'll protect my students. That includes you."
Zhang Zhe's words came from the heart, and Xu Le couldn't help warming to him.
"Thank you, sir."
"You're welcome. You're a student, after all."
Xu Le looked at Zhang Zhe. After a few seconds of silence, he decided to promptly report what he had seen.
Apart from Zhang Zhe, there didn't seem to be anyone he could count on.
"Mr. Zhang Zhe, earlier I..."
"What happened earlier?"
"I saw a Witch Cicada. It was holding half a teacher's corpse. I couldn't make out the face."
"A Witch Cicada? You mean a Witch Cicada? Black or white?"
Zhang Zhe looked shocked at the mention of the Witch Cicada. His specific question about its color told Xu Le that he had asked the right person.
"White."
"I see! All right, understood."
Zhang Zhe nodded thoughtfully, then took out a rather strange piece of paper. He cut his finger and pressed his blood onto it, and the paper immediately ignited and vanished.
"Thank you. You've provided some very important information. You'll certainly be rewarded afterward."
Although Xu Le looked forward to that supposed reward, he still felt that staying alive mattered more.
"Sir, why are there so many Oddities on campus? Where are the Night Watchers and the university's defense forces?"
"What's your name?"
Instead of answering immediately, Zhang Zhe asked for his name.
"My name is Xu Le."
"Xu Le, then. There have been some changes to today's Black Tide. It may differ from what's in the books and what we've experienced before. The higher-ups haven't explained the details yet, but one thing is certain: tonight will be much more dangerous than before."
"That much I know."
Of course Xu Le knew. Today's Black Tide was no longer merely a Black Tide.
The Red Moon Calamity was the true name of tonight's Black Tide.
"Sir, you seem to know something about Witch Cicadas. Could you tell me about them?"
"Of course, though I don't know much myself."
"That's fine. Just tell me whatever you know."
"All right. 'Witch Cicada' sounds like 'Reaper,' so they're also called the Black and White Reapers. They're polluter-class Oddities, twin beings born as one.
"The white one is White Cicada, a female. She can command evil spirits and use witchcraft.
"The black one is Black Cicada, a male. His body is incredibly powerful, impervious to blades and bullets.
"Because they closely resemble humans, some people also call them Soul-Takers. They're extremely powerful.
"Others call them messengers of death.
"Whenever the Black and White Witch Cicadas appear, disaster invariably follows."
"If a Witch Cicada appeared here, would you have a way to deal with it, sir?"
"Well..." Zhang Zhe was at a loss for words.
By this point, Xu Le had already drawn some conclusions. Whatever else might be true, Zhang Zhe certainly couldn't defeat a Witch Cicada.
If one really appeared, he would have to rely on the toad!
Sure enough, you had to rely on yourself.
Tonight probably wasn't going to be easy!
Before you continue