Chapter 51: Little Girl An Ran

It was literally a reckless dash! The compact car's driver seemed not to see the little girl, kept his speed, and was about to collide.

Just when the front of the car was a fingertip away from the little girl, suddenly!

A stream of pitch‑black qi surged from the little girl,

and everything around was shrouded in that black qi.

The qi rapidly formed a soft barrier in front of the little girl.

An astonishing scene unfolded:

The compact car, traveling at least 180 km/h, struck the black‑qi barrier as if hitting soft cotton,

with no hardness at all, and its speed instantly dropped to zero!

After everything settled, the once solid compact car turned into a twisted, un‑car‑like mass.

The surveillance showed the compact car was completely empty inside! Driverless?

"Did you see anything?" Yu Haili asked Zhang Cheng. Zhang Cheng pondered for a moment:

"The footage is unreal, like an illusion. I guess the little girl's Summoned Creature can create illusions."

Having dealt with many big‑shots,

Zhang Cheng is highly sensitive to Summoned Creatures.

Yu Haili nodded, confirming his speculation.

"Could you conveniently tell me the little girl's background?" Zhang Cheng asked.

Yu Haili nodded:

"There's nothing inconvenient; I've actually wanted to tell you."

"The little girl is named An Ran, eight years old. When she was five, a car accident took all the adults in her family, leaving only her."

"The accident was caused by brake and accelerator failure."

"Since then, she has lived in an orphanage."

So that's how it is… Zhang Cheng examined the surveillance footage and asked:

"Three people died in that accident, right?"

"Hm?"

"Exactly."

Yu Haili said,

"Her father, mother, and older brother all perished in that accident."

Do you remember the black compact car in the footage? That was her family's.

"We hypothesize that she has been repeatedly reenacting the accident scene using her Summoned Creature's ability."

"But I'm curious, how did you know three people died in that accident?"

Zhang Cheng pointed at Yu Haili's phone and said:

"I just clearly saw three shadows behind the little girl."

"One adult man, one adult woman, and a youth, but they were all vague black silhouettes, faces indistinct."

"Sss…" Yu Haili thought, sensing something:

"You mean An Ran's Summoned Creature is actually her family?"

"Uncertain, but the possibility is high."

Zhang Cheng said lightly, "Isn't there a saying that goes like this?"

"Don't fear ghosts harming you, because where you cannot see, deceased family may silently protect you."

"Let's go, take me to meet her."

…Divine Ghost Summoner Alliance, Room 321.

The girl in a little white dress sat obediently on a stool, bright eyes and white teeth, her pure black, large eyes sparkling.

The stool was too high; her toes couldn't touch the ground, and her two calves swung forward and back.

"Hello, big brother, I'm called An Ran, I'm eight years old."

"Is this the tasty thing you brought for me?"

An Ran blinked her big eyes, looking at Zhang Cheng curiously.

Perhaps from long orphanage life, her demeanor exuded a maturity beyond her age.

Zhang Cheng smiled and nodded:

"Yes, I heard you like tasty food, so I specially brought it for you."

"Whenever you want to eat it, tell me and I'll buy it for you."

He handed the item in his hand to An Ran.

An Ran cheerfully took it, took a gentle bite, and the sweet flavor instantly filled her mouth; she showed a satisfied smile.

After tasting, An Ran didn't become self‑absorbed; instead she looked at Zhang Cheng and said:

"Big brother, you want to ask why I went alone to the intersection, right?"

Zhang Cheng was startled; indeed he was hit right on the mark.

"Actually I don't know why I went."

An Ran whispered,

"It was my father and mother who told me to go,

saying that going there would reveal what actually happened back then."

"At first I was scared, not knowing what to do."

"But after going many times, I gradually understood that place might be the accident site where my father, mother, and brother left me."

When she spoke, An Ran's face showed no trace of sorrow, as if she were talking about something ordinary.

Zhang Cheng frowned:

"When it comes up, you don't seem sad."

"Sad?" An Ran tilted her head and looked at Zhang Cheng,

"Why would I be sad? Mom, dad and my brother have always been with me,

When I'm sad they comfort me; when I'm bullied they punish the bullies."

"They have always been with me."

"It's just… in a different way."

As she said the last sentence, an almost imperceptible trace of grief unintentionally appeared on An Ran's face.

Saying she's not sad is a lie; she's merely forcing herself to accept reality.

"An Ran, may I ask you a question? When did you discover you could talk with deceased relatives?"

Zhang Cheng realized that the An Ran before him was not an ordinary child; her mind was unusually mature.

"Probably the second year after Mom and Dad passed away. I was crying bitterly then, and Mom appeared to comfort me;

Later, when other kids bullied me at the orphanage, my brother would help me 'take revenge',

Of course, just pranks and the like."

"As for Dad, there was a time I accidentally got a zero on a test,

and he suddenly appeared and scolded me."

"Before they could only stay by my side briefly, but now they can stay for a very long time,

Mom said as long as I want, they can stay with me forever."

An Ran counted on her fingers, explaining each incident clearly.

Zhang Cheng gradually understood as well.

In the second year after the car accident, An Ran became a Summoned Creature master,

the creatures she summoned were precisely her deceased relatives.

With Zhang Cheng's appearance and his victory in the Divine Ghost Killing Arena,

the Summoned Creature Level across the Dragon Nation rose,

An Ran's relatives also grew stronger, and the time they could accompany her was no longer limited.

Does that count as having done a good deed?

Zhang Cheng sighed; if it hadn't been for that car accident, that would have been the real blessing.

"By the way, big brother, I heard from my sisters that you are a hero of the Dragon Nation,

who can summon countless Summoned Creatures, is that true?"

At that moment, An Ran looked at Zhang Cheng, her eyes full of hope, and asked.

Zhang Cheng smiled and nodded,

"Yes."

"Then, may I make a small wish of yours?"

An Ran was full of anticipation.

Zhang Cheng asked:

"What wish?"

"In the next round, can you summon the Embroidered Shoes?"

After pondering for a moment, An Ran said,

"My brother always scares me with ghost stories about Embroidered Shoes; each time it frightens me so much I don't dare go to the bathroom at night."

"I think if I could see the Embroidered Shoes with my own eyes, I wouldn't be so scared."

"Of course, of course, that's just my small wish; if the opponent is too strong, please don't summon the Embroidered Shoes."

"I don't want the Dragon Nation to lose, and I don't want to see you, big brother, get into trouble."

"Hm? Haha, seems the Embroidered Shoes have been underestimated by the little girl."

Zhang Cheng waved his hand with a smile,

"Don't worry, the Embroidered Shoes… their name may seem unremarkable,"

"but in terms of power, even an SSS‑Rank opponent is no match for it."

"So, for this match, you better watch closely."

"By the way, if you get so scared at night you can't go to the bathroom and wet the bed, don't blame me!"

Upon hearing that, An Ran shivered, her little face flushing instantly,

"I… will… not… wet… the bed!"

…the representatives of each nation in the conference room.

"Now, let's talk about the eighth match—who intends to participate?"

"For the record, Great Hero Nation suffered heavy losses, so we will not field anyone,"

"who knows what kind of monsters the Dragon Nation contestant might pull out."

Meng Lingchuanxi crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back in his seat, his face marked by deep hardships.

After the recent defeat in the duel and the incident where thousands of Great Hero Nation spectators were killed,

Meng Lingchuanxi became unusually cautious, no longer daring to display his former arrogance,

somewhat like a person tucking their tail.

"Our Beautiful Nation cannot enter either," Charlie tilted his head and simply stopped answering any further questions.

Steve, the Triumphal Empire representative beside them, looked at the Tianzhu Nation representative,

"Your Tianzhu Nation used to be quite boisterous, didn't it?"

"You claim your Summoned Creature is the best under heaven; we now tentatively agree, so why don't you go up?"

What?

The Tianzhu Nation representative was immediately startled and decisively refused,

"What kind of joke is this? When there were benefits before, you rushed ahead,"

"Now the punishment is severe; one by one you become cowering turtles, trying to make the Tianzhu Nation the scapegoat?"

"I tell you, there's no opening at all!"

All the representatives present were filled with dread toward the eighth challenge match.

There's no choice; the reward this round is indeed generous—a SSS-level Artifact,

but the punishment is equally terrifying, SSS-Rank Fear Descends upon the homeland.

Know that even an SS Rank Fear Descends can cause hundreds of thousands of deaths,

let alone SSS-Rank, which would kill millions!

A slight misstep could see a nation wiped out.

Even great powers cannot act lightly.

Seeing all the representatives cower, Pu Linyuan beside them slammed the table and rose sharply,

"Ah, damn!"

"It's just a challenge match, is it really worth being so scared?"