Chapter 122

Bang.

A round, fluffy wooden bullet was fired from the gun and struck the roof.

Bang! Bang! Bang bang bang!

Several wooden projectiles were fired, bombarding the roof, causing rubble to fall and pile up on the unconscious members on the ground.

"Ugh! I'm so angry! Ugh!"

Bang bang bang!

A piece of rubble flew towards Captain Zou Dongrong, stopping in mid-air a second before it hit him. The entire space in the room seemed to freeze. The flying rubble and the furious vice-captain seemed to have time taken away. Only the captain himself calmly reached out and picked off the piece of rubble that was flying towards him. In that instant, time began to flow again.

Zou Dongrong casually tossed the pieces of rubble he had removed at his deputy's feet.

"Hao Ping, your Transformation Technique has become increasingly refined," he said calmly. With no outsiders present, he didn't bother to put on his mask of concern for the people, revealing his cold nature. "But your temperament still needs refinement."

Like a wild beast driven mad, Hao Ping, panting heavily, directed the stick figures to attack the roof. When the roof was leaking more holes than a fine rice sieve, he finally stopped. The stick figures scattered with a snap, and the sticks fell to the ground. By then, the room was a complete mess.

Hao Ping looked at his captain with red eyes. "Old Zou, aren't you angry?"

Zou Dongrong didn't respond. He looked towards the doorway, where a uniformed member of the Guard was huddled. He was the "communicator" who had tipped them off. The other Guard members had only come to deliver medicine once later and were then dismissed. Only he had been there the whole time, so he hadn't missed the scene of the two Guard leaders being held hostage by outsiders.

Zou Dongrong's cold gaze fell on the "communications officer," and he asked, "Did you only recently join the Guard?"

The communications officer sensed danger; a chill ran down his spine. His captain and vice-captain were being watched by two outsiders... Would he be silenced?

"Yes, yes."

Zou Dongrong stared at him, making him lower his head further and further. Suddenly, Zou Dongrong revealed a slight smile, and said in a gentle tone, "Newcomer, you see? The outsiders are very strong. They seem to be very close to the townspeople. Today they were willing to come to the Guard to collect medicine on behalf of the townspeople, completely disregarding the Guard."

"That's one thing, but what about tomorrow? I wonder if they'll be willing to stand up for the townspeople against the Guard? Interesting, isn't it? Newcomer, wouldn't you like to take off this uniform and go back to being an ordinary town dweller?"

Zou Dongrong was laughing, but it was a vicious laugh. Hearing this, Hao Ping looked at the "communications officer" as if he were a traitor, his eyes flashing with a sharp light. The "communications officer" trembled and stammered, "No, no, I will always be loyal to the Guard."

"Pfft." Zou Dongrong said with a half-smile, "You'd better do so."

"Outsiders are just temporary visitors, they may be heroes for a while, but we..." he said meaningfully, "Will live here forever."

"I understand, I understand." The communications officer nodded vigorously. "Where else could I possibly find a place besides the Guard?"

This statement is absolutely true; there is no falsehood in it. Zou Dongrong came to this conclusion after examining the new member.

By giving the new member a dressing down, Zou Dongrong's need for control was somewhat satisfied, and he withdrew his gaze with satisfaction. The "communicator" had passed the leader's loyalty test, and he breathed a sigh of relief, but a look of bewilderment appeared on his face after he was safe. He glanced absently at the dilapidated roof above him, thinking how small it was, how narrow the Sky above him was.

At first, he had the same vast Sky as everyone else. Later, he entered Shuiling Town, and the Sky became only a small patch. Now, the Sky of Shuiling Town no longer belongs entirely to him; he only has the Sky above the Guard' heads.

So, exactly... at which step did we go astray?

Under the same roof, Hao Ping neither noticed nor cared that his Sky was shrinking; he was content with his place. He was more concerned with other things than pondering such trivial matters.

"Damn outsiders!" he cursed angrily. "Damn! Damn!!"

Why did these outsiders Shuiling Town?

The Guard had sent people to monitor the outsiders as soon as they arrived. However, one of the outsiders was completely invisible, and the other could not be followed when they tried to track her, but would unexpectedly appear in some places when they did not look for her. She was elusive and seemed to be playing with them.

No wonder the Guard couldn't keep an eye on them; they were such fierce and powerful individuals!

How awful! How awful! How awful!

"Old Zou, these outsiders are too presumptuous! They completely look down on our Guard. Can't we do something to teach them a lesson?" Hao Ping's eyes were bloodshot. "I can't swallow this!"

"Hao Ping, I told you, you need to work on your temper."

"I!"

"Who said I would let them go?" Zou Dongrong said coolly.

"What do you mean?!" Hao Ping exclaimed in surprise, "What idea do you have?"

Zou Dongrong gently brushed aside a piece of rubble with his foot and said, "This visitor from the Ability Control Bureau seems to be a genius. So young and already A-Rank ability user—truly remarkable talent. Don't rush, after the Weird Snow matter is over, we'll do this..."

He whispered his plan into Hao Ping's ear, and as he described it, a look of joy spread across Hao Ping's face.

"Ha, ha! That's a great plan!" His eyes gleamed, the pent-up frustration in his chest vanishing instantly. "Excellent, excellent! Isn't the Ability Control Bureau the most concerned about the people? Then let our geniuses do what they can for the people they care about!"

The plan is a good plan, it's just that this strange snow...

When will it turn?

Thinking about this strange snow, Hao Ping felt a little annoyed again. He muttered under his breath, "What the hell is this? What on earth is this damn snow?"

In a corner of the town, a foot peeked out from a house, gently stepping on the pristine snow. A soft crunching sound filled the air as the snow was trampled. A young man cautiously peeked out from the house.

A hand suddenly appeared, grabbing his collar and violently dragging him into the house. The door slammed shut with a bang, and a shout echoed from inside, "Hey! What are you doing?!"

The young man was stunned for a moment by the yelling, and then he recovered and smiled honestly, "I think..."

"You want to sneak out to the Guard to get your medicine!" the shout interrupted him.

"... Yes," the young man admitted, sighing, "I have to go out, otherwise..."

The young man turned around. Behind him, the town was packed with men and women. In the corner, an old man sat silently in a chair. His eyes were closed and his face was stern and solemn. He looked very dignified, but upon closer inspection, his fingers were frequently tapping his knees, as if to hide the trembling in his hands.

The young man's gaze fell on the old man, and the townspeople all looked over, finally realizing what was going on...

Signs of Pollution and erosion.

"Grandpa Mu can't wait any longer." The young man said, with a hint of perseverance on his honest face, but then the perseverance disappeared. He touched his head and laughed, with a naive look on his face, "Haha, I'll get the medicine for him. If I'm lucky, I can get the medicine back for you."

Everyone fell silent.

Someone wants to say something but doesn't know where to begin.

When news of the snow eating people spread, it was this elderly man surnamed Mu who opened his door, giving everyone shelter. But now, the old man's situation is dire...

"I'm fine." The old man's voice rang out. He opened his eyes, which had been closed, revealing the bloodshot veins in them, but his expression was clear, and his voice was deep and powerful. "You don't need to risk your life for me, kid. Don't underestimate this old man. When it comes to tolerating Pollution, I have far more experience than you lot!"

"But this can't go on forever. If we do nothing..." The young man paused, then continued, "This snow will kill us all."

The room was quiet.

The young man chuckled twice to ease the tension, saying, "So let me go. Go out and give it a try; it's always an opportunity. I..."

The townsman who had yelled at the young man first interrupted him, saying quickly, "If someone has to go out, then let me go out. I'll try this opportunity for everyone."

The crowd was slightly surprised, glancing at the young man and then at the townsman.

In order to make a living under the Guard, the townspeople of Shuiling Town haven't had a "hero" emerge for a long time. In order to curry favor with the Guard, everyone pretends to be unfamiliar with each other and pretends to be hostile. No one is willing to stand up for anyone else.

Another townsman hesitated before speaking up, "No, why don't you let me go?"

She said, "I'm a speed-type ability user, so I'm best suited for it."

As soon as she spoke, the person next to her immediately stopped her, stood up, and said, "Wow, my ability level is the highest!"

"No, let me go! I just started feeling unwell, the medication might be wearing off, it's urgent for me, let me go!"

"Let me go!"

"Holy crap!"

Perhaps driven by the atmosphere, the townspeople began scrambling to get a chance to go outside. The young man stared blankly at this scene, never expecting it to turn out this way.

Just as everyone was vying for the opportunity, there was a sudden knock on the door. The knocking sound entered the room, startling everyone so much that they all pressed the pause button simultaneously. They looked at each other, their eyes asking in unison—what's going on?

The door was gently pushed open, and a delicate, pale face appeared through the crack. A pair of dark eyes peered inside. The scene was slightly unsettling, and some townspeople twitched their fingers, tempted to unleash their supernatural abilities. However, the next second, a voice as cold as an empty valley wind drifted in, coming from the mouth of the person outside—

Do you need medication to treat the Pollution?

"?!!"

A medicine to treat Pollution?!

Is it the kind of drug they're thinking of?!

Everyone stared intently at it, even the old man surnamed Mu lifted his eyelids slightly.

Some impatient people couldn't wait and strode forward to open the door, revealing the person outside.