Chapter 263: Step by Step to the Mountain Peak!

As time passed, the rain fell harder and harder.

Lu Ran and the others moved forward while killing, occasionally heading to various locations to provide support according to superior orders.

He had experienced rainy nights like this countless times.

Yet for some reason, Lu Ran always felt that time was passing very slowly on this particular night.

Was it because his heart was uneasy that he found time so hard to endure?

After all, during the day, Sun Sun Zhengfang had explicitly stated that Rain Alley City would not be too stable tonight.

"What time is it?" Lu Ran squatted by the roadside, holding a Divine Power Bead and absorbing the corpses and bones of evil spirits.

The moment his words left his lips, the dark night suddenly lit up.

A bolt of lightning tore through the night sky!

"Ten thirty-four," Sun Sun Zhengfang's voice came from behind.

Jiangjiang Ruyi's brows knitted slightly; her gaze pierced through layers of rain curtains as she vigilantly scanned the surroundings.

This rain was falling heavier and heavier.

It was already beginning to obscure vision.

"Boom—rumble—!"

Claps of thunder exploded across the night sky.

Lu Ran's body trembled slightly.

Since lightning had just appeared, everyone naturally had psychological preparation, knowing thunder would follow.

However, Lu Ran's face still looked somewhat unpleasant.

A great genius of Great Xia, actually afraid of thunder?

Hmm... formerly afraid.

The sound of wind, rain, thunder, and lightning reminded him of some sorrowful past events.

When he was young, Lu Ran had indeed been afraid of lightning flashes and thunderclaps.

On every terrifying stormy night, his father would come to his small room, tell him bedtime stories, and coax him to sleep.

At the age of thirteen, Lu Ran believed he had grown up, become strong, and was no longer afraid.

Precisely because of this, on that night of the fifteenth, his father, Lu Xing, did not stay by his side but went out to execute a mission.

Once he left,

his father never returned.

And Lu Ran remained trapped within that stormy night.

To this day, he still had not managed to escape from it.

Lu Ran often thought that he should have continued to be afraid.

If he had, on that night of wind and rain with crashing thunder, his father would surely have stayed by his side as usual.

Then his father would not have died by the Wu Lie River.

"This rain is no small matter, is it?" Sun Sun Zhengfang's face was grim.

Rain Alley City often rained; torrential downpours were nothing rare.

But thunderstorms of this magnitude were uncommon.

"Lu Ran," Jiangjiang Ruyi called softly, "Lu Ran?"

"Ah?" Lu Ran came back to his senses; the evil spirit corpses and bones before him had long been completely absorbed.

Jiangjiang Ruyi, being meticulous, noticed Lu Ran's abnormality; she bent down, reached out, and grasped Lu Ran's arm:

"Are you okay?"

Jiangjiang Ruyi's voice was very gentle, dispelling the thunder that still lingered around Lu Ran's ears.

"It's nothing, it's nothing," Lu Ran said repeatedly, then looking at the pouring rain, he joked, "It seems as if the sky has leaked."

That forced smile naturally did not escape Jiangjiang Ruyi's eyes.

Jiangjiang Ruyi opened her mouth, but constrained by the cameras, she gave up on pressing the question.

As Lu Ran stood up, Jiangjiang Ruyi's hand slid down naturally and gently held Lu Ran's hand.

This action clearly should not have occurred at this time and place.

The squad was executing a patrol mission and could engage in firefight with evil spirits at any moment.

Moreover, several people were equipped with cameras; any movement would be seen by the world.

Jiangjiang Ruyi was undoubtedly a qualified warrior, and with her thin skin, from any angle, it was impossible for her to hold Lu Ran's hand.

"What's wrong?" Lu Ran turned his head to look at the young girl and teased, "At such a big age, still afraid of rain and thunder?"

This move of the villain accusing first had been mastered by him.

Unexpectedly, Jiangjiang Ruyi did not refute but lowered her head slightly and answered in a small voice: "A little bit."

Lu Ran was completely stunned.

It was a kind of gentleness that ordinary people could hardly understand, let alone feel.

She accepted Lu Ran's baseless words.

She accepted them on behalf of Lu Ran himself.

Her slender five fingers slipped through the gaps of Lu Ran's fingers, gripping his hand even tighter.

"Let's go, continue patrolling," Jiangjiang Ruyi took a step, gently tugging Lu Ran.

This movement was just like...

Just like she wanted to lead the trapped Lu Ran out of that stormy night from many years ago.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning flashed across the night sky, lighting up the pitch-black night once again.

Lu Ran silently followed her forward; amidst the flashing lightning and crashing thunder, he felt an immense sense of peace.

What no one expected was that just as the thunderclap faded, an anxious female voice suddenly came through the earpiece:

"Jiang Jing, Jiang... Ah!!"

"Uh—"

The voices of two Moon-Watchers erupted suddenly, then cut off abruptly amidst screams.

Sun Sun Zhengfang's expression changed drastically; just as he was about to speak, an alarm blared!

Lu Ran's heart plummeted to the bottom.

Has it finally come?

On the fifteenth of last month, Rain Alley City had enjoyed merely one night of "peace," a brief chance to catch its breath.

Tonight, could this cursed city ultimately not escape its fate?

Originally, Lu Ran's livestream room was still flooding with comments like "Young Lady, don't be afraid, come into my arms" and "Hug."

As the alarm sounded, the bullet-screen content abruptly changed:

"Special Event! Is Rain Alley City about to undergo a Special Event?!"

"This must be the fourth trainee to experience a Special Event; the neighboring channels are all showing 'Night of a Thousand Ghosts'!"

"The alarm is short and urgent; it's 'Descent of the Demon Lord'!"

"It's not alternating long and short tones; Rain Alley City isn't facing 'Night of a Thousand Ghosts,' it's 'Descent of the Demon Lord'!"

"What should we do? Hurry and find a shelter to hide in?"

"What's there to fear? Just kill them all~"

"You can afford to throw your life away, but what about Lu Ran's life? He's only at the mid-stage of the River Realm, at most River Realm · Stage Three; a descending Demon Lord is guaranteed to be at least in the Jiang Jing realm!"

"Right! This has exceeded Lu Ran's capabilities; absolutely no impulsiveness—leave it to the great experts of the Human Race; saving his life is paramount!"

"Nonsense! How can a true prodigy ever retreat?"

While the livestream room descended into chaos, on the streets of Rain Alley City, the four-person team was moving swiftly, their footsteps rapid and fragmented.

Torrential rain poured down; the pitch-black night sky flashed bright again and again!

Terrifying thunderclaps mixed with the low, urgent wail of the alarm, weighing heavily on everyone's hearts.

"Woo! Woo! Woo!"

"Faster! Speed up!" Sun Sun Zhengfang urged his teammates as they rushed toward an office building beside the crossroads.

That was a shelter.

Sun Sun Zhengfang's thinking was simple: Lu and Jiang absolutely could not come to any harm!

Existences of such strength and realm as a "Demon Lord" were matters for the great experts of the Human Race to resolve.

If a Demon Lord descended in the nearby district, Lu Ran and Jiangjiang Ruyi must enter a shelter immediately to receive protection.

Only if the Demon Lord descended elsewhere might Sun Sun Zhengfang allow Lu and Jiang to continue their patrol duties.

Ultimately, Lu Ran was the hope of the Human Race, a rising star destined for greatness.

He absolutely could not perish halfway; he must not die tragically here!

"All units, attention!" A male voice came through the invisible earpieces, "A Jiang Jing-level vicious hound has appeared in the Central Plaza area!

Conservatively estimated, this vicious hound's strength is above Jiang Jing Stage Three!

Our soldiers have already engaged and are fighting the hound in the plaza.

However, this vicious hound possesses the Xie Fa technique 'Evil Shadow Flash'; its teleportation range is extremely vast, and it could flee to any location at any moment.

All squads must remain vigilant, prepare for combat, and report immediately upon spotting anything!"

"Damn it!" Sun Sun Zhengfang halted, shocked and furious, rarely cursing aloud.

A vicious hound at Jiang Jing Stages Three, Four, or Five?

If the great experts of the Human Race guarding Rain Alley failed, how many people would die tonight?

Even if the great experts of the Human Race achieved victory, if they slipped up even once and failed to kill the hound, allowing it to flash away and escape—

Tonight in Rain Alley City, the death toll would still be countless!

There were so many types of evil demons in the world; why did one capable of instantaneous teleportation have to show up?

Did Heaven only feel satisfied if Rain Alley City was slaughtered clean?!

"Team Leader Sun!" Wei Long, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke.

"Hmm?" Sun Sun Zhengfang looked at Wei Long.

Wei Long's gaze burned intensely: "A Jiang Jing-level vicious hound."

Sun Sun Zhengfang's thoughts were in turmoil; he hadn't yet caught the hidden meaning: "Yes, we'll continue patrolling, but we must remain vigilant at all times—"

Sun Sun Zhengfang's words halted.

He had been thinking that their squad was located in the Hexi area, while the Central Plaza was in the Hedong area, where the Wu Lie Building stood.

Since the battlefield was so far away, everyone could continue patrolling, fulfill their duties, and kill as many evil demons as possible to support the Moon-Watcher troops.

But as he spoke, Sun Sun Zhengfang suddenly remembered something.

It was last month, on the morning of the sixteenth day of the lunar calendar.

At the entrance of Lu Ran's residential compound, he had heard astonishing news and, moved by it, had made a remark:

Little Lu could not only handle 'Night of a Thousand Ghosts' but also deal with 'Descent of the Demon Lord'...

"Slap!"

Sun Sun Zhengfang slapped himself directly: "Jinxed mouth."

That someone as mature and steady as Sun Sun Zhengfang could act so out of character was enough to show just how threatening a Jiang Jing-level vicious hound was to the Human Race.

The root cause lay in that terrifying Shun Yi Zhi Fa!

Other Jiang Jing fiends might not necessarily be able to breach the sanctuary.

After all, every sanctuary contains numerous divine niches and statues.

But the Evil Hound clan?

They can truly blink forward, kill their way into the buildings, and slaughter ordinary citizens!

"Uncle Sun?" Lu Ran, confused and somewhat stunned, looked at Sun Sun Zhengfang.

That morning, after handing the Jiang Pin·Evil Hound Demon Core to Jiangjiang Ruyi, Lu Ran had stayed at home.

He was unaware of the conversation among the squad members after Jiangjiang Ruyi returned to the team.

Sun Sun Zhengfang simply waved his hand, having no intention of explaining.

Wei Long, with a stern expression, repeated to Sun Sun Zhengfang: "Jiang Jing Evil Hound!"

Because of the cameras, he had deliberately concealed much information.

If Wei Long were to state directly that Lu Ran had achieved the feat of slaying a Jiang Pin·Evil Hound and possessed this unique experience,

then there would be absolutely no room for maneuver!

Countless eyes were watching Lu Ran right now.

Speaking plainly would be equivalent to forcing Sun Sun Zhengfang to issue an order, compelling Lu Ran to be driven to rebellion!

By saying only the brief four characters as a reminder, Wei Long allowed Sun Sun Zhengfang to make his own choice and give his own command.

Wei Long, however, hadn't expected Lu Ran to speak up: "Uncle Sun, I..."

"No!" Sun Sun Zhengfang's reply was crisp and decisive.

Lu Ran, instead, remained very calm, displaying the bearing of a warrior: "Currently, there are three scenarios: upper, middle, and lower.

First, our great experts slay the Evil Hound, and everyone is happy.

Second, our great experts heavily wound the Evil Hound, which then flees and continues to wreak havoc along the way.

Third, the Evil Hound wins; this is the result we least wish to see."

"Rumble—rumble—!"

Peals of thunder rolled continuously.

Lu Ran paused briefly: "As long as I am here, the second scenario cannot happen!

I can attract the Evil Hound's hatred, completely cutting off any thought of it escaping.

My appearance can also help our soldiers and generals do their utmost to prevent the third scenario from occurring!"

Jiangjiang Ruyi gripped Lu Ran's hand, squeezing it tighter and tighter.

Wei Long's gaze burned brightly; the look in his eyes as he regarded Lu Ran was no longer mere approval, but deep admiration.

Sun Sun Zhengfang opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Lu Ran continued: "Uncle Sun, you don't know.

Lu Ran looked straight at Sun Sun Zhengfang, word by word:

"I have slain a Jiang Jing Evil Hound before!"

Driven to rebellion?

What a joke; does the mighty God of Flame need anyone to force him?

This mountain—

This summit!

Lu Ran will climb it himself!

It's the last day of the month; seeking some monthly ticket support.

Thanks to bosses Starry Sky's Emperor Yao, Wooden Spoon 001X, and T Mo 29 for their donations!

Thanks for the support; you bosses are generous!

(<3) Heart fingers.

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(End of Chapter)