Chapter 36: Raincoat Night Phantom

A muffled thud!

Lu Ran landed lightly on the wet grass.

Just before hitting the ground, a gust of wind had briefly supported his body.

But at that moment, Lu Ran was too close to the grass.

The wind only slowed his fall—it couldn’t fully hold him—and he still landed flat on his back.

“Ugh.”

Lu Ran cried out in pain, then forced himself to stay silent.

“Thud!”

The yellow raincoat plummeted rapidly, spreading her legs and stomping heavily on either side of Lu Ran’s waist.

Her chest rose slightly; her beautiful eyes locked onto Lu Ran.

Filled with murderous intent, she was even three times more ferocious than the Crimson Paper Man!

Lu Ran struggled to lift his hand and shield his face.

The Crimson Paper Man had just died—and now another nightmare had arrived.

It was outright denying him any chance to live!

Suddenly, Lu Ran felt a chilling coldness beneath his palm.

Deng Yu held a long blade and gently pried open Lu Ran’s hand; her murderous intent vanished, replaced by gleaming fascination:

“Little Lu Ran, aren’t you afraid?”

Lu Ran: “.”

To say he wasn’t afraid was a lie.

But what overwhelmed him was the delayed terror, wave after wave of dread.

Now that he thought about it, falling from such a height could easily kill you!

Yet just moments ago, he’d been toyed with by the Crimson Paper Man—humiliated beyond endurance!

All he’d cared about was how to resist with all his might—he had no room for anything else.

“Does it hurt?” Deng Yu leaned down, grasping Lu Ran’s bloody palm.

Lu Ran clenched his teeth tightly, still saying nothing.

Normally, he’d already be pulling out a plastic bag.

Real men,

never miss a chance to show off!

But right now…

This damn thing hurt too much!

A man in a black raincoat sprinted over to Deng Yu’s side.

“Captain Sun.” Deng Yu straightened Lu Ran’s arm and presented it to her teammate.

The arm dripped blood, hung with shredded flesh—the wound ran deep to the bone, horrifying to behold!

The man in black raincoat’s palm glowed green as he immediately pressed it against Lu Ran’s arm.

“Is this kid really a Xiang Xianyang devotee?”

The man in black raincoat couldn’t help himself—he blurted out the question.

In nearly twenty years of service, he’d never seen such a bold little lamb!

Most people snatched by demons would already be paralyzed with fear, shattered and trembling.

Yet Lu Ran’s conduct truly startled the entire Moonwatch team!

Not only did he not lose his nerve—he’d seized the critical moment to distract the Crimson Paper Man, enabling Deng Yu’s killing blow.

Had the Crimson Paper Man not turned back, the two might have fought many more rounds.

In just a few seconds, this young man had displayed extraordinary composure!

“Yu Tang told me you have a unique understanding of Divine Art,” the Great Nightmare observed Lu Ran with interest, diverting his attention, “Now I’ve seen it for myself.

You’re just a novice, yet you managed to influence a River Realm demon.”

Lu Ran finally spoke, voice strained: “I couldn’t change the Crimson Paper Man’s thoughts—I simply went with the flow.”

The Great Nightmare raised an eyebrow slightly: “Oh?”

Lu Ran explained: “If someone isn’t sleepy, I can’t force them to fall asleep.

Just now, I merely offered a pillow to someone already half-asleep.”

Deng Yu smiled, confident in Lu Ran: “Divine Art can be upgraded in rank. Right now, you can only ride the current—but later, it’ll be different.”

Lu Ran nodded; the higher the rank of Divine Art, the more devastating its effect!

Still, if the Sound of Sorrow grew too strong, the consequences seemed dire—shout it out, and you might end up at war with the entire world?

Fortunately, devotees can lower the intensity of their Divine Art.

Worst case, Lu Ran still had the Sound of Compassion as a fallback!

After mocking them, I can just cry and beg for mercy, right?

Ah, just having fun~

“Done.” The Sun-named Moonwatcher lowered his bloodied hands.

“Done?” Lu Ran was startled.

That was too fast—had it really been less than a minute?

Lu Ran looked at his arm: the wound had fully healed, new flesh already grown.

The Great Nightmare stretched out Lu Ran’s arm and wiped away the blood with falling rain.

After confirming, she asked: “Any other discomfort?”

Lu Ran pushed himself up, moved his body slightly—every part still ached faintly, as if his bones might fall apart.

But his mouth stayed tough: “Seems… seems no major damage?”

Deng Yu: “After this, you may apply for rest and recovery.”

Lu Ran immediately shook his head: “I don’t want rest—I want points!”

“Heh.” Deng Yu smiled warmly, “Your score this time won’t be low.”

Undoubtedly, Lu Ran had already earned himself a huge bonus!

His entire squad might even benefit.

The Crimson Paper Man was clearly a powerful River Realm demon; as a hostage, Lu Ran played a crucial role in this battle.

Lu Ran nodded firmly, his fighting spirit still surging: “I want to continue the mission!”

“Good.” Deng Yu nodded approvingly and waved toward the distance, “Please escort this trainee back to his post.”

Deng Yu belonged to the Yunshan City Divine People’s Bureau · Moonwatch Branch, dispatched here specifically to respond to emergencies.

Upon hearing their superior’s order, several warriors from the Yuxiang City · Moonwatch Unit immediately stepped forward.

“Thank you, Sister Yu Xiang,” Lu Ran said at once, then turned to the Sun-named man, “Thank you, Uncle.”

Sun Zheng: “.”

“Hmph.” Deng Yu snorted.

This kid’s tongue was as sweet as ever.

As Lu Ran was led away by the Moonwatchers, Sun Zheng murmured: “The Crimson Paper Man had countless chances to kill him.”

“She must have taken an interest—wanted to capture him and torture him slowly,” Deng Yu whispered.

Demons capturing humans was common.

Many demon races were obsessed with tormenting living beings and weren’t in a hurry to kill.

They savored their prey’s panic and fear, relishing every scream of agony.

Why say “many” and not “all”?

Because demons like Blood Hounds or Rage Hounds, though they feed on fear, lack the mental capacity to suppress their primal savagery.

Thus, low-tier demons rarely imprison humans—they simply slaughter wildly.

“I think the Crimson Paper Man clan is unusually fond of him.”

Sun Zheng paused, then continued: “Crimson Paper Men are rare to begin with—yet one appeared in this tiny Yuxiang City and found him precisely.

And this one was likely a River Realm Stage Four to Five demon.

Had her realm been even slightly higher, she’d have crossed into River Realm!

You know, Xiao Deng—if a River Realm demon appears, it triggers the city’s human elders.

The Crimson Paper Man deliberately stayed just below that threshold—so the ones who’d come to rescue would be people like us, Moonwatchers…”

Deng Yu fell silent.

Was it intentional?

If someone else had been captured, this conversation wouldn’t have happened.

Yet just half a month ago, Lu Ran had offered worship on the Altar—and received a Crimson Paper Man demon.

Sun Zheng: “There’s definitely something wrong here.”

Deng Yu spoke: “Whether it’s coincidence or not, we report the facts as they are.

Captain Sun, let’s send more personnel to the gymnasium and patrol there ourselves—what do you think?”

“Agreed.” Sun Zheng paused, then nodded.

This pair clearly consisted of an experienced veteran and a newcomer—but it was obvious that the newly recruited Deng Yu held considerable influence.

In this world, there is indeed one eternal truth—strength reigns supreme.

Deng Yuxiang, though young, has already reached the River Realm, Fifth Stage!

This is a height countless others fail to reach in a lifetime, a presence worthy of awe.

Not to mention, she is a devoted follower of the Second-Class God, North Wind Blade.

Her future truly deserves to be called “unlimited.”

And another person of unlimited potential was being rushed back to the stadium by several Moonwatchers.

On the way, Lu Ran was questioned again.

He gave a superficial explanation of the Divine Art, his words identical to those he had reported to Coach Dou Zhiqiang.

The group couldn’t help but murmur in amazement at Lu Ran’s answer.

Along the way, Lu Ran also watched a man closely, silently praising him.

“What’s wrong?” One of the Moonwatchers noticed Lu Ran’s odd behavior and asked.

“Brother, thank you for coming to rescue me,” Lu Ran said, looking at the man unharmed, “You didn’t get hurt at all?”

During the chase, it was this man who summoned a bone wall to block the path of the Red Paper People.

The Red Paper People then pulled out a tiny paper doll and clenched it in their palm.

As the paper doll was crushed, the man’s limbs twisted uncontrollably.

He was almost being crushed into a ball of flesh!

“Don’t worry,” the man said calmly, “I am a follower of Lord Thousand Bones.”

As he spoke, the man’s head suddenly rotated a full circle.

Yes, a complete 360 degrees!

A full rotation!

“What?” Lu Ran was startled.

The demons and monsters scaring me is one thing—but you, a Moonwatcher, are scaring me too?

So what if you’re a follower of Thousand Bones?

Well then,

You really are impressive!

Are your bones just like spare parts—you can assemble and disassemble them however you like?

“We’re almost there,” the Moonwatcher squad leader said grimly; the team fell silent.

Lu Ran crossed the road with the others, his gaze sweeping past the ruined iron fence, just catching sight of Team 98 fighting enemies!

“Ha!” Deng Yutang’s roar echoed faintly; blinding flashes of electricity flickered within the battle cluster.

Lu Ran’s heart jolted.

“I’m going over.” As he spoke, mist surged beneath Lu Ran’s feet.

He moved at blinding speed, like a phantom!

His tattered black raincoat flapped violently in the torrential downpour.

“Crack!”

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning split the night sky, illuminating the phantom’s face in the rain and the cold gleam of the Radiant Blade:

“Baa~~~”

(End of Chapter)