"Old Acquaintances" Meet Again

Su Ming was not in a hurry. He patiently waited for the smoke and dust to dissipate before carefully examining the Cloud Fang Mining District after the air raid through the camera.

Many facilities were destroyed.

However, the tunnels, shafts, hoisting equipment, pumping and ventilation equipment in the critical areas were all intact.

Su Ming rewound the attack footage, slowed it down, and discovered that several aerial bombs had actually hit their targets.

However, just before they were about to be hit, they were forcibly deflected by magic controlled by Abidaqi.

"This old guy's still in pretty good shape," Katharine exclaimed.

Although these metal lumps aren't very fast, they are still subsonic.

Especially heavy.

Katharine sent all the data from the attack to the "Betray the Master and Destroy the Ancestors" squad, asking them to analyze it in relation to Abidaqi.

"Can the Y-20 keep up with the energy consumption from such an attack?" Su Ming asked.

"It's alright," Katharine said. "We have enough fuel and everything else."

The Victory Oilfield has already started production smoothly. At the same time, First Sunrise's advantages have also begun to come into play, with conventional metal production capacity increased and improved gold-refining explosives no longer in short supply.

From the perspective of cross-sea operations, the lack remains in transportation and battlefield deployment capabilities.

"The Y-20's 'alarm clock service' will not affect the progress of Dandelion Operation."

Su Ming nodded.

"Then let's continue collecting data, and keep changing the methods of attack," he said.

"Okay," Katharine replied.

The poor results of the harassment are not a problem.

Consuming some surplus resources to disrupt the enemy while simultaneously gathering information about Abidaqi is a sure-fire way to make a profit.

Abidaqi had placed a canopy overhead. But he never dreamed that there was a high-precision camera in Cloud Fang City, broadcasting his every move up close.

****

With tonight's plans finished, Su Ming decided to go and rest.

He came down from the third-floor terrace, opening today's situation briefing as he did so. The area around the Raccoon Dog Dream Theater was calm, with only a few Black Claw members occasionally passing by.

However, the report mentions the emergence of a slightly suspicious target.

Su Ming clicked on the details image and found that it showed a homeless man shrouded in a cloak, spending the night huddled in a corner of a building a block away from the theater.

"She's been staying here every night for two days now," the observer reported to Su Ming.

"Are they spies monitoring us?" Su Ming frowned.

"The target is currently in a position with no view of the theater courtyard, so she can't see any intelligence," the officer on duty replied. "But she has passed by the gate several times during the day."

Su Ming switched to the live monitoring screen; the suspicious target was still in the same location.

She was completely covered by a cloak, curled up, with only a few strands of white hair peeking out from the gap in the hood.

We can't see anything further.

Su Ming switched the display mode. In infrared thermal imaging, he could capture obvious female characteristics and a slightly elevated body temperature.

"This person has a fever," Su Ming said.

"It started half an hour ago, and the temperature is already three degrees Celsius above normal." Su Ming immediately put aside his doubts. If someone this sick was still sleeping on the street, they could only be a true victim of hardship or a homeless person.

What does her body temperature mean?

"He won't live past tomorrow morning," the staff on duty reported.

This kind of situation is common in Cloud Fang City, and in principle, Su Ming shouldn't interfere.

However, he still decided to go and take a look.

Su Ming walked out of the courtyard gate and then turned into the alley between the buildings.

The walls on both sides were made of stone, with dry grass and mud stuffed in the gaps. At your feet was a drainage ditch, which smelled of sour sewage.

The orc city at night was dimly Heguang.

On one hand, there is a lack of nightlife; on the other hand, orcs have excellent Darkvision.

Su Ming weaved through the alleys several times, approaching his target.

This place is about 300 meters from the Raccoon Dog Dream Theater.

Su Ming glanced back and found his view completely blocked by layers of buildings. The only thing he could see was the radar pole standing tall on the theater roof, with a promotional sign at the top that read "New Play of the Cangxiao Dynasty".

Of course, the camera was also installed in this location; otherwise, the monitoring personnel wouldn't have discovered this homeless man.

Su Ming was about to go over when he suddenly stopped.

A strange Magic Power surged around the target.

Although it didn't seem like it was preparing for an attack, it was extremely listless.

But its rank is definitely not low!

[Yise, Jinxiu, something's wrong!] Su Ming warned immediately.

At the same time, he flicked his wrist, Thorn Long Whip transformed into a sword in his hand.

****

Lang Yefu's ears twitched.

She heard someone approaching, but she didn't have the strength to pay attention.

As time passed, the "Prisoner Brand" on his chest lost its stability.

It felt as if a red-hot iron was pressing on my chest. With each breath, the pain spread along my ribs.

During the torture, Lang Yefu's body temperature became frighteningly high, and her consciousness began to be torn apart by the pain.

Finally, another wave passed, and the pain eased slightly.

Lang Yefu mustered her strength and struggled to look up at the person who had come.

He was a half-cat youth, his eyes filled with caution, and he held a sharp sword in his hand.

Lang Yefu recognized him; it was none other than Graves, the rich second-generation from Lingbei Port, who had been the sucker who restarted the Raccoon Dog Dream Theater.

She had a vague feeling that the weapon in the other person's hand was extraordinary, but the pain brought by the "Prisoner Brand" made her unwilling to investigate further.

"I'm sorry," Lang Yefu said to Su Ming.

"... I didn't expect to disturb you here."

Her voice was soft and hoarse.

"I'm just waiting to die here." Lang Yefu had nowhere to go.

She retrieved the hidden "Wolf Fang Key," but it was only a temporary reprieve. With nowhere else to turn, she remembered the Raccoon Dog Dream Theater billboard she had seen before, so she came to this area.

During the day, she passed by the theater many times, watching the actors come and go, and listening to the music and songs being rehearsed.

This brought back long-forgotten memories of her childhood.

On her deathbed, she chose to be in a place where she could see the billboards, and in her hazy state, she imagined that it was still twenty years ago, when she was a child, being held by her still-living parents to go to the theater.

Back then, colorful cloths hung at the entrance of the theater, and drumbeats emanated from inside.

Her father would lift her up so she could see over the shoulders of the orcs in the front row and watch the skirts swirling on stage; her mother would whisper the plot in her ear, her voice gentle.

****

Click!

It was the sound of someone flying up and landing on a nearby rooftop.

Lang Yefu looked up and saw Graves's sister, Yuumi, who played the Wolf Fang Princess Aivila.

She held a longbow, cautiously surveying her surroundings before aiming in this direction. The bowstring wasn't fully drawn, but it was ready to fire at any moment. Her position allowed her to cover multiple alleyways without exposing herself to a direct impact.

This movement is completely unlike that of a low- to mid-level combatant.

Lang Yefu, supporting herself against the wall, struggled to her feet.

She pressed her hand to her chest, pulled down her collar, revealing the black veins beneath that were throbbing like living things, relentlessly eroding her flesh.

"This is the ' Prisoner Brand,' and it's expired. I'll be dead soon."

Lang Yefu said sincerely.

"My identity is sensitive, so you'd better leave immediately and not have anything to do with me."

During the movement, Lang Yefu's hood fell down, revealing her half-werewolf face.

The moonlight fell on her face, illuminating her high nose, Pale lips, and the cold, sharp features characteristic of a half-werewolf. She had clearly lost a lot of weight, and her eye sockets were slightly sunken due to the high fever, but the bone structure and features of her face still gave Su Ming an overwhelming sense of familiarity.

Su Ming's eyes suddenly widened. He recognized the other person, and his hand gripping the sword tensed up immediately.

He almost leaped up instantly, but after taking half a step, he forced himself to stop.

Lang Yefu understood. She lifted the thin rope around her neck and pulled the "Wolf Fang Key" hanging on her chest from her bosom.

You recognized me.

Lang Yefu smiled calmly.

"This is indeed Saint Rank item, but I sincerely advise you not to touch it."

In Lang Yefu's mind, Su Ming's actions just now must have meant that he had recognized the "Wolf Fang Key".

It's not surprising that people are tempted by money, especially with such valuable props.

However, Lang Yefu did not want Su Ming to touch the key.

"If the people of the Plundering Clock find you, you'll lose your life!" she warned.

Su Ming finally shifted his gaze from Lang Yefu's face to her chest, to the pulsating black lines.

This method requires expensive materials, and ordinary prisoners certainly cannot enjoy this treatment.

"Are you a key prisoner of the Plundering Clock?" he asked.

"Yes!" Lang Yefu nodded. "Can you tell me your identity?" Su Ming continued.

"Curiosity killed the cat," Lang Yefu still advised.

The brand on her chest suddenly exploded, the black energy completely out of control. The lines spread along her skin, each one pulsating.

Lang Yefu let out a muffled groan.

She pressed her hands tightly against her chest, her nails almost digging into her skin.

"My time... is up..." Lang Yefu managed to finish her last words, "Go back, don't get involved, and just act properly..."

The sound stopped, Lang Yefu fainted, her body slumping against the wall and falling to the ground.

The dark markings on her chest were still spreading, like a closing net, dragging the last bit of her life deeper into the abyss.

Su Ming activated his "Silent Vision" to confirm that everything was not an illusion or a deception before quickly approaching.

The Star Fairy immediately popped out from behind the wall and flew onto his shoulder.

"[Jinxiu, can you remove that brand?]" Su Ming asked.

[There's not enough time; she'll be dead by the time the mark is dispelled.] Jinxiu shook her head. [The only way is for me to take the remaining power of the mark in her place and bear the damage.] Su Ming's eyes narrowed. [What's the price?]

Jinxiu realized that Su Ming wanted to save her.

"I'll just be dormant for two or three days," she replied truthfully. "Just remember to feed me plenty of Magic Power."

Unlike humans, fairies, being semi-phantom beings, can recover from damage without loss, as long as they have a host.

"Thank you for your hard work!" Su Ming said.

Jinxiu figure flew out and pounced on Lang Yefu's chest, pressing her hands against the surging black patterns. Her small body was quickly enveloped in black light, and the stardust wings on her back trembled violently.

"Absorb!"

A silvery-white light unfolded from the Jinxiu palm, like countless needles and threads, piercing into the black lines and drawing the mark toward herself.

Lang Yefu had already fainted, but her body still instinctively tensed up.

The black markings writhed wildly, trying to burrow back into her body.

Jinxiu gritted her teeth and pulled outwards with both hands.

With a hiss, a ball of pitch-black Magic Power was forcibly extracted.

It immediately climbed up Jinxiu's arm, onto her shoulders, neck, and cheeks. The Star Fairy's light dimmed, as if it had been soaked in ink.

[A little... dirty.]

Jinxiu managed a weak retort.

Then she transformed into a wisp of dim starlight and flew back to Su Ming's forehead.

Su Ming felt a chill between his brows, and an unusual sense of erosion also arose in his sea of consciousness.

Su Ming quickly channeled his Magic Power to begin eliminating this erosion.

Yes, that's it...

Jinxiu's consciousness retreated deep into the ground, falling into complete silence.

The black markings on Lang Yefu's chest lost their support and quickly faded, leaving only a patch of reddish skin and a few burn marks.

She lay quietly on the ground, only her chest rising and falling slightly, proving that she was not dead.

"Very good, another one on the verge of death," Su Ming remarked. Yise, longbow in hand, leaped off the roof.

"If you had started treatment sooner, I think she could have stayed alive a little longer," she said, puzzled.

Su Ming didn't explain why he hadn't dared to approach in that situation.

From a safety perspective, he even felt it would be better to make the half-werewolf even "dead".

Su Ming lifted Lang Yefu off the ground.

Yise reached out and took the "Wolf Fang Key" from Lang Yefu's arms.

"Good stuff, this is the fourth one!"

"Hide them well first," Su Ming said. "If this man is right, these keys are probably in very hot water."

The two cast invisibility spells, erased any possible traces in the surrounding area, and then quickly left.

****

Zijin made a video call.

"You rescued a prisoner of the Plundering Clock?" she asked, puzzled. "Did you encounter some difficult magical problem that you need me to solve?" Su Ming shook his head.

The person has been rescued.

On the other side of the room, Yise activated the "Holy Spring Key".

The gentle glow of the spring water enveloped Lang Yefu, seeping into her skin along the burn marks. Her breathing gradually became steady, and the flush on her face from the high fever slowly faded.

The effects of the "Holy Spring Key" were particularly pronounced on this half-werewolf.

But that's not surprising, since it's a medical device made by orcs.

Su Ming put down his phone, summoned chains, and bound the half-werewolf's hands and feet, as well as his body with restraints.

He then put a neck ring on the other person, sealing their ability to cast spells and speak loudly.

Su Ming clapped his hands. "Done."

Because the phone was placed on the table, Zijin's perspective was from the side.

It's clear that the werewolf's curves are very wild. After the restraints were tightened, some of the already prominent parts became even more exaggerated.

Zijin's eyes narrowed. "Su Ming, if you want this, I can use my Polymorph to satisfy you."

Su Ming shamefully felt a little tempted and failed to immediately and firmly reject the temptation.

A dangerous smirk appeared on Zijin's lips.

"Adding bondage is also possible~~~" Her voice carried a soft, seductive quality.

"... Who tied whom up?" Su Ming wasn't fooled at all.

"Guess!" Zijin chuckled.

Su Ming picked up his phone and walked closer.

"... Look at her face!" he said helplessly.

Zijin then focused on the main point and looked at the half-werewolf's face.

Su Ming turned on his phone's flashlight and shone it on Lang Yefu.

Zijin's pupils dilated instantly.

The half-werewolf's facial features, the shape of his eyebrows and eyes, and even the sharpness unique to half-werewolfs, quickly overlapped with someone in her memory. "Yexiya!" Zijin exclaimed.