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Chi Chuhong's standard swept toward the spear tip, her waist twisting as her feet pivoted to the right. Her body leaned back at an exaggerated angle, and with a flick of her wrist, the silver-white spearhead lunging at her was swallowed by the fabric of the flag, entangled within it.

Guided by Chihong, the fluttering banner moved like a swimming red fish, using softness to overcome strength. Most of the spear's momentum was deflected, causing it to plunge into the adjacent wall.

"Angelina." Chihong straightened her back, the spiraled staff of her flag spinning in her palm along with the snapping banner.

"Haven't you always wanted to get rid of me?" Angelina's voice was cold as the Abyssal White Flower, deeply embedded in the wall, vibrated violently before flying back to her side.

She had never expected this single attack to land squarely on the girl. Chihong was an absolute monster by any metric; as a standard-bearer who leaned toward support functions, she could suppress Angelina head-on even without relying on her divine endowment. During their first encounter, the Section 6 team led by her had once driven Angelina into a desperate corner.

"Now I am right in front of you. If you have the skill, then come after me."

She turned and sprinted into the rain. Chihong did not hesitate, leaving a message for her companions before swiftly giving chase.

Boom!

Their hiding spot was destroyed once again. The explosion's fire pounced out like a giant lion covered in flames, its massive body large enough to occupy the entire corridor. Its hunched back brushed the ceiling, consuming angel statues, priceless paintings, and peacock-green wallpaper dusted with gold powder in its blaze.

Bai Zhou pulled Yun Yao along as they fled down the long gallery with great difficulty, both of them covered in dust and grime. They couldn't contact their companions—neither Elder Hei nor the chief. A strange sense of anxiety began to well up in Bai Zhou's heart. With his physical fitness, he didn't need to be in such a pathetic state, but the girl behind him couldn't take it.

With that caliber of sniper bullet, as long as it didn't blow off his limbs or pierce his neck, his self-healing ability combined with the boiling blood state would allow him to recover completely in less than ten seconds. Even if a limb were severed, it would grow back within half a month, much like a gecko shedding its tail to survive.

But with Yun Yao's constitution, a single hit from that small frame might be enough to kill her.

"Bai Zhou, am I terrible? I'm dragging everyone down," Yun Yao said, her voice trembling.

Bai Zhou was speechless, thinking, Sister, what are you talking about at a time like this? He even wondered if he showed even a hint of agreement, given her violent and capricious personality, she might just snap his neck.

"I feel like I'm always holding everyone back... I act recklessly, I'm too eager for success and trying to prove myself, so I've messed up so many things. You were right, Bai Zhou, if it weren't for me, the Abyssal White Flower wouldn't have escaped last time."

"Yun Yao, what is wrong with you!" Bai Zhou couldn't help but snap in a low voice.

Another flash of fire exploded near them. Dark Gold Rose had swapped armor-piercing rounds for explosive rounds not long ago; she seemed to be getting serious.

Bai Zhou pulled Yun Yao around a corner, stumbling along until they ducked into a narrow alcove. He used a reflective mirror to observe Dark Gold Rose's position, but the distant figure noticed his move. She casually waved a greeting before detonating the mirror in his hand with a pistol shot.

"That crazy woman." Glass shards showered the floor as Bai Zhou pulled his hand back as if scalded, cursing under his breath.

Assigning the code name of luminous prism grade was, in reality, more like a compromise. When a fixer became powerful enough to refract the light of the world, they gained the ability to stand on equal footing with the association. They no longer took direct orders but maintained a mutually beneficial relationship.

Long before obtaining their code names, those individuals had already transcended the rules and frameworks of the world, acting as they pleased. To those few of the luminous prism grade, the glory brought by the code name was far less dazzling than their own presence.

They had never met a luminous prism grade fixer. Usually, they only heard rumors of the Pale Green Sage, who could influence urban legend worlds in hive cities through sheer will from millions of kilometers away. That old man's level of existence had reached heights unimaginable to ordinary people.

To Bai Zhou, that felt like absolute power; looking up at such a figure would blind one with searing light, and hearing the name inspired awe and worship. They were not to be pried into, doubted, or defiled. The Dark Gold Rose he currently faced gave him more of a feeling of being uncanny.

Elusive and full of tricks, she was like a cunning wolf toying with her prey. A series of bizarre methods made it impossible for them to calm down and think about how she did it or what her purpose was.

Was she strong?

Undoubtedly, the abilities Dark Gold Rose displayed were incredibly strong—strong to the point of being irrational. Bai Zhou glanced at Yun Yao, who was still mumbling to herself, her eyes hollow as her mental state collapsed.

He was certain that of all the fixers he had seen who specialized in long-range abilities, not one could use a single anti-materiel heavy sniper rifle to suppress two grade 4 fixers within a three-hundred-meter range until they were utterly helpless. Especially since Yun Yao was a grade 4 gunner herself.

But he didn't understand what her purpose was in doing this.

Was it just to tease them?

Would such a powerful individual have such a boring hobby?

Judging by her long-range suppression, she clearly had more efficient means to end the battle, yet she chose this method—loud thunder but little rain. Bai Zhou was starting to suspect if she was just a hollow shell, putting on a frightening front to mask her emptiness...

Before he knew it, the suppressive fire from Dark Gold Rose weakened, and the commotion outside gradually died down.

Bai Zhou recalled his previous hypothesis, and his eyes grew brighter. For some reason, his naturally sharp senses made him feel he was approaching the truth. The thought lingered in his mind, refusing to leave. Then, Yun Yao's voice reached his ears.

"Bai Zhou, I want to use my divine endowment," Yun Yao said softly.

Bai Zhou was startled and said firmly, "No!"

The chief had strictly forbidden it. Until the association's assessment of Yun Yao's mental defect level passed, she was absolutely not allowed to use her divine endowment. If the girl showed any intent of doing so during combat, the primary mission for her companions was to control and restrict her actions.

Yun Yao continued her hollow mumbling: "If I just release my divine endowment, I'll definitely be able to take that person down, right? At least we won't have to be so pathetic. The chief and 'Mother' will finally look at me with new eyes. Everyone in the association will realize how important I am... I'm more important than the other children..."

Bai Zhou felt a sense of dread. He grabbed Yun Yao's shoulders and shook her hard. "Hey, calm down! Think about Sister Wei Li! Think about what she told you. She's still waiting for you to go back and make rice balls for the winter solstice!"

"Sister Wei Li." Yun Yao's dim eyes flickered, and the corners of her mouth curled up. "That's right. Big sister will also look at me with new eyes."

"I've decided. I'm going to use my divine endowment, Roaring Thunder Garment!"

Seeing that the girl seemed even more determined, Bai Zhou realized he had said the wrong thing. He roared inwardly. Out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly saw that Dark Gold Rose had shifted positions at some point. The cold barrel of her gun was aimed right at them.

Bai Zhou's expression darkened. With a wave of his hand, the Blood Monarch slammed down out of thin air. The blade let out a heavy low hum, swelling several times in size to slant in front of them. The explosion's fire was blocked by the Blood Monarch, collapsing heavily as snakes of fire and heat waves were continuously swallowed by the singularity, flowing into the crimson patterns.

He knew well that this kind of mental defect was hard to heal with love or sudden warmth from emotions.

He gave up on trying to use words like partners, family, or bonds—which felt incredibly stupid at this moment—to persuade the girl in her disordered state. Instead, he crouched down, like an older brother taking out a lollipop to coax his younger sister on the side of the road, and said:

"I've thought of what to do, Yun Yao. I'll go take that person down. You be responsible for supporting me from a distance, okay?"

Yun Yao shook her head. "No, you're too weak. You'd be taken out before you even reached the floor she's on, right?"

Bai Zhou gritted his teeth. "What if I activate my divine endowment!"

Yun Yao paused, her gaze clearing slightly. "You? Activate your divine endowment?"

"No, your mental defect assessment just barely passed. The chief said you can't use it unless it's an absolute last resort."

Bai Zhou thought to himself, What right does someone who didn't even pass have to say that to me?

He forced a smile and said, "Now is the last resort, Yun Yao. There's too much unknown risk if two people activate their endowments at the same time. The chief forbade that, right?"

Yun Yao nodded. "If you activate yours, Bai Zhou, then I really can't activate mine."

"Against an enemy with such strong long-range combat capabilities, it's fine for a berserker known for close-quarters combat to activate their endowment and break through, right?"

Yun Yao nodded. "Put that way, I guess there's no problem..."

"Then it's a deal. I'll activate mine and handle the breakthrough, and you'll cover me." Bai Zhou breathed a sigh of relief, a bitter smile touching his lips.

What a mess. Having one defective person coax another defective person. At such a critical moment, he had to treat her like a child, providing patient guidance while offering a sweet treat. But hadn't the members of Section 6 always supported each other like this?

Perhaps when he had lost control during a crisis, Yun Yao had also been like a helpless younger sister, slapping him while crying and begging him to snap out of it.

To 'problem children' like them, the concept of family was too ethereal. But sometimes, seeing the girl hopping around like a little sparrow to share her joy—whether it was a paper crane she folded, a white bellflower she picked, or her excited shouting about wanting to blow him into bloody mist—he would feel that it would be nice if she really were his sister.

No matter what, at a time like this, someone had to step up.

"Tyrant's Blood Garment!"

A battle cry rang out as the blood within his body began to boil.

Crimson armor instantly covered Bai Zhou's entire body, and he felt lighter than ever before. He closed his eyes tight. Releasing his divine endowment meant facing the truest, most fragile version of himself deep inside. This being his first time, he was a bit nervous; at least he didn't want to embarrass himself too much in front of the girl.

However, the expected negative emotions didn't overwhelm him. Aside from his body feeling lighter and as if it had endless strength, there seemed to be no other change.

With a light lift, he picked up the Blood Monarch. The world before his eyes underwent an earth-shattering transformation. The luxuriously decorated corridor turned into a pixel-style racetrack. The angel statues and exquisite paintings also became pixelated. Cute little angels flapped their wings and flew out of nowhere, waving magic wands as the glowing dust they sprinkled arranged itself into a beginner's guide.

"Space key to jump, W, A, D, S to move, J for normal attack, K for special attack, press TAB + Enter together to trigger the finishing move..."

"What is this crap?"

Bai Zhou swung his greatsword, slicing a little angel in half. After a hateful shriek, the angel's wings turned into insect wings, its tender face became craggy like a toad's, and its body withered rapidly as its fly-like compound eyes leaked a foul stench.

Bai Zhou rolled his shoulders. At that moment, a bright yellow sphere appeared. It had arms and legs and looked like a moving pomelo. It gave Bai Zhou a contemptuous look before quickly snatching up the pixelated Yun Yao. Its stick-figure limbs somehow reached speeds of hundreds of kilometers per hour, disappearing at the end of the pixelated tunnel.

A main quest popped up right in the center of his vision.

"The wicked Pomelo Pest has stolen your sister! Oh brave and strong brother, embark on the journey to defeat the Pomelo Pest and take back your family!"

A brand new pixel tunnel appeared before Bai Zhou. Countless glowing, sparkling gold coins bounced in the air, emitting an invisible magic that drew him to pick them up.

Bai Zhou stretched his limbs. "Then let's begin!"

He started running forward. Every time he slashed through a gold coin, brilliant gold dust showered his body. A warm current rose from his lower abdomen, filling his body with power. His previously exhausted stamina was restored, and his entire being felt as if it possessed inexhaustible strength.

Pixel-style fireballs roared from a distance. He jumped to the other side onto the path laid out by the gold coins, and the fireball happened to graze past him.

Xu Xiaoyou's brow furrowed slightly as she fired another bullet imbued with 【Headshot】. Again, Bai Zhou dodged it as if he had predicted the bullet's path, and it struck the ground near his feet. Several shots in a row went the same way; he was dodging as if he could see the trajectory in advance.

In her view, Bai Zhou had completely lost control after being covered by that blood-red armor. Solidified blood mist constantly drifted from his body, almost enveloping him entirely. He was like a demon king crawling out of hell, letting out hateful roars as he charged through the storm toward her.

She was certain he had just released his divine endowment.

The long tassels of his armor were like flowing crimson ribbons, weaving through the greenery in an instant. He moved through countless fish-men, the Blood Monarch easily cleaving through their bodies. Waterfalls of blood exploded in the rain over and over again like red roses blooming in the storm, vivid and eye-catching. Each bloom meant Bai Zhou had broken through closer to Xu Xiaoyou's range.

Xu Xiaoyou pulled the bolt, leaning out to aim, but an energy shell exploded precisely near her, forcing her to duck back in.

It seemed they were playing for keeps. Xu Xiaoyou's gaze remained calm. Then she would play along.

In the virtual stream of green data, the funds in her bank account began to drop rapidly, transforming into a massive amount of light that merged into her body.

Xu Xiaoyou snapped her fingers. Three slot machines manifested before her, their levers pulled simultaneously. On the frantically spinning reels, countless cartoonish prizes zipped past.

...

Destiny Moment!

"Fortune: The next condensation can specify a card type other than character cards and will receive a double proficiency critical bonus!"

Maximum draw: three hundred consecutive pulls. Skill card double critical bonus. Show Hand!