The rain kept falling,

and the atmosphere was far from harmonious.

Outside the western gate of the gymnasium, the members of the squad tensed up, gradually watching as the sky began to lighten.

This night, within Rain Alley City, battles flared up everywhere, with roaring and howling sounds in waves, chilling people to the bone.

And after three o'clock in the morning, the whole city gradually fell silent.

It might even be described as "dead silent."

It was enough to send shivers down one's spine!

"Woooo~"

The deep, elongated sound of the alarm rang out, echoing through the streets and alleys of the city, carrying an indescribable sorrow.

"It's six o'clock," Jiang Ruyi stood on the steps, looking out at the quiet city district in the rain.

Trees had toppled, and fences lay broken.

At the crossroads, the traffic lights had been broken into several pieces.

On the distant building walls, traces of damage could still be faintly seen, with broken stones and tiles scattered all around.

The heavy rain had washed away any possible bloodstains, but it couldn't remove all the destruction.

"It's time; your mission is over," Zhang Feng suddenly spoke up.

"Is it over?" Tian Tian stood behind and to the side of Jiang Ruyi, like a little follower.

"Mhm," Jiang Ruyi stretched out her hand, smiling gently as she patted Tian Tian on the head.

Jiang Ruyi, the captain, was undoubtedly very qualified.

Even though she herself was trembling with fear and had passed a restless night, she had continuously tried to calm herself down.

The gentle yet strong Jiang Ruyi influenced and changed the squad's overall temperament and was especially Tian Tian's support throughout the night.

"Yes, it's over," Zhang Feng confirmed, "There may still be Evil Demons wandering the streets and alleys, but since it has been light for a while, no new Evil Demons will invade."

"Finally!" Lu Ran sighed inwardly, leaning against the wall and slowly sliding down to sit.

For a 17-year-old high school student, staying up all night wasn't a big deal.

Who hasn't spent nights in front of the computer?

Firing at the airport, laning in the canyon...

Can you explain, what does tired even mean?

But the recently experienced fifteenth night was a constant nervous tension for Lu Ran, who had frequently entered into battles, draining both his mind and body.

Not to mention, Lu Ran had been captured by Yan Zhi, hovering on the edge of life and death.

Lu Ran was very satisfied with the performance of both himself and the team.

During the past night, under Zhang Feng's proper arrangement, the team had taken action at the right times, fighting against the Mist Realm·Evil Demons.

When they encountered Evil Demons above the Stream Realm, they obediently stayed behind the Moon Gazers, not causing any trouble for the warriors.

The points they deserved to obtain were definitely within reach.

Even the experiences they shouldn't have had, Lu Ran had felt them all.

At this moment, he was exhausted both in body and mind and just wanted to have a good long sleep.

"People will come to switch out with you soon," Zhang Feng continued, "You can choose to rest inside the gym.

If you want to go home and recuperate, we'll also have officers organize and escort you back."

The Evil Demon Clan invading the city wouldn't just disappear.

During the three days from the 16th to the 18th, the authorities would search the entire city to ensure there were no remaining Evil Demons.

Only on the 19th could the people in shelters go home, and the entire society would start functioning again.

"Ruyi, are you going to rest at the shelter?" Tian Tian quietly asked.

Jiang Ruyi held her forehead with one hand, pressing the temples on either side with her ring finger and thumb, looking completely drained:

"No, I'm going home."

It was more comfortable at home, and with the Divine Shrine Divine Sculpture there, the Believers could rest assured.

"Oh," Tian Tian replied softly, a bit disappointed.

This farewell meant they were likely not to see each other for a full three days, until the 19th, when they would meet again at school.

The siren had just stopped when a team of people arrived on time to take over the shift.

Lu Ran and the others were all going home, and under the arrangement of the officials, they joined many classmates and got on a coach bus.

"Jiang!"

"Good morning, Squad Leader Jiang, my God, what did you all go through last night?"

A crowd of classmates greeted her, all talking at once.

Jiang Ruyi, the academic superstar, was a prominent figure in the school, drawing attention wherever she went.

Jiang Ruyi simply smiled and nodded, not saying much.

The small team stationed in the gym naturally had no idea what had happened outside.

But the members of Squad 98, each of them looking exhausted, disheveled, with bloodstains left on their clothing by the rain, had clearly been through several fierce battles!

Especially Lu Ran, he was the most disheveled of them all!

His clothes were not just disheveled, they were torn and tattered.

Seeing such a sight made many of the students secretly marvel.

All the other students were guarding the gym, but Lu Ran, what is this...

"Lu Ran, what happened?" a boy asked, looking at the pitiful state of Lu Ran, "Did you engage in hand-to-hand combat with an Evil Demon?"

Lu Ran, the rising star, had made a name for himself ever since he had summoned an Evil Demon at the God Worship Platform and then took first place in the Evil Dog Village assessment.

Lu Ran didn't recognize the other person, so he simply smiled without speaking.

Pretending to be unfathomably mysterious.

He fooled all the classmates into a stupefied silence!

"Looks horrible, even the clothes are ripped. What kind of Evil Demon was it?"

"Hey? Look at Lu Ran's arm, is that a large patch of freshly grown skin? The flesh color is different."

"It must have been torn by some Evil Demon, right? Geez, just thinking about it is terrifying..."

In a buzz of speculation, Lu Ran remained silent, taking a seat on the bus.

It couldn't be denied that Lu Ran was indeed tired, too tired to speak.

But on the other hand...

There are three thousand ways to show off!

Lu Ran casually played the "silent and untalkative" card, and it worked remarkably well.

Ah, that's better~

Just last night, I was fluttering after Yan Zhi, fluttering and chasing...

My life almost got tossed away, so what if I show off a bit?

"Awwwooo..." The vehicle started and slowly drove away from the gym.

Because of the special circumstances, the students and social volunteers on the bus would be dropped off right at their front doors.

Lu Ran was no exception; as the coach stopped in the Rain Alley residential area, he bid farewell to several teammates and, escorted by a Moon Gazer, entered the complex until he reached his own house.

"May Lord Immortal Goat bless us." Lu Ran dragged his weary body into the little bedroom and bowed repeatedly in front of the Divine Shrine.

"Disciple has returned alive. Last night was truly perilous."

"How strange, do you think the Yan Zhi really took a fancy to me?"

Lu Ran muttered to himself, reporting the situation, then stepped into the bathroom, shedding the clothes that had been torn by Yan Zhi, and took a heartily satisfying hot shower.

Only after his body was clean and refreshed did he return to the little bedroom and collapse onto the small bed.

Before falling asleep, Lu Ran picked up his phone from the nightstand and checked it. As expected, he found several messages from his mother and sister.

Lu Ran replied to each message to reassure them and, after expressing his apologies, drifted deeply into sleep.

Falling asleep was incredibly fast and extremely sweet.

Until noon, as Lu Ran slept soundly, his body twitched slightly, and his expression grew increasingly troubled.

It seemed he was having a nightmare...

"Where is this?" Lu Ran furrowed his brows, looking at the dim surroundings, observing this world wrapped in mist.

Wait a second!

Lu Ran's expression stunned; this environment felt so familiar.

Hadn't I been here before?!

Lu Ran was shocked!

Buried memories gradually filled his mind.

That's right, I've been here before.

After the Evil Dog Village assessment, I had a similar dream. In the dream, I saw the souls of dozens of Evil Dogs.

And I saw the giant sculpture of the Evil Demon Clan·Evil Dog!

"Uh," Lu Ran held his head.

Why?

After I awoke from that dream, why couldn't I remember anything that happened here?

Is this really just a dream?

Harboring deep doubts, Lu Ran took slow steps forward.

Walking only a few meters, he came to a halt.

The world was dark, with thin fog adding to the low visibility.

He suddenly stopped because, in this silent world, Lu Ran saw a familiar figure.

"Yan... Yan Zhi?"

Lu Ran's eyes widened as he looked up to the sky.

Through the thin veils of mist, that graceful figure stood suspended in midair.

Truth be told, if she weren't known to be from the Evil Demon Clan, just based on her unrivaled charm, Lu Ran might have respectfully called her a "Celestial!"

"This..." Lu Ran's emotions surged.

Was this the Yan Zhi that Deng Yuxiang had beheaded last night?

"Hmm?" The Yan Zhi, who had been quietly standing in midair, seemed to have detected the arrival of the tiny member of the Human Clan.

She slowly drifted downward, her Big Red Robe elegantly billowing, breathtakingly gorgeous.

Lu Ran's mouth opened slightly. Different from last night, the current Yan Zhi had the appearance of a translucent Soul Body.

That pale yet beautiful face seemed a bit blurry.

"Yee!!"

Yan Zhi finally revealed her true face, emitting a piercing scream from her red lips.

Those eyes fixated on Lu Ran, burning with passion, the desire almost spilling over!

"Huh!"

Yan Zhi rushed over swiftly, heading straight for Lu Ran.

Lu Ran backed away rapidly, tripping over his feet and falling to the ground with a thump.

"Yee!"

With another shriek, the figure of Yan Zhi lunging forward halted abruptly.

Her body trembled and struggled as if held by some invisible shackles, unable to move an inch.

Lu Ran turned pale as he looked on, watching as Yan Zhi was thrust backward.

As the mist cleared slightly, Lu Ran's eyes shot open!

He saw a colossal Evil Demon Sculpture.

It was the exact statue of the Evil Demon Clan·Yan Zhi!

Its immense scale and imposing presence gave Lu Ran an overwhelming sense of oppression.

She was eerie, but also alluring.

Her face was as pale as paper, yet her expression was seductively charming.

The Soul Body of Yan Zhi was sucked into the red lips of the massive sculpture, disappearing without a trace.

The world was restored to silence, devoid of the shrieking screams.

"What place is this?!"

Lu Ran roared in his heart.

He didn't believe this was just an ordinary nightmare.

Suddenly, a cold wind blew, sending shivers down Lu Ran's spine.

"Gulp."

Lu Ran swallowed, slowly turning his head to look behind him.

A colossal Black Sheep Head came into view.

Yes, without a body, just a black sheep's head floating in midair!

"Huff~"

Black Fire flickered.

The vast, pitch-black sheep's head, eerily burning with black flames.

Its eyes were the epitome of Dead Sheep Eyes, extremely terrifying.

"Lord Immortal Sheep?" Lu Ran ventured.

What kind of creature was this?

In Lu Ran's knowledge, neither among the gods nor the Evil Demon Clan was there such an entity.

A burning head, swaying with Black Fire?

What a joke...

When Lu Ran called out "Lord Immortal Sheep," he was trying to summon his own deity.

At the same time, a flicker of hope stirred in his heart.

What if this Black Fire Sheep Head was actually Lord Immortal Sheep, who often changed faces?

"Baa~"

The sound of a sheep bleated from the Black Fire Sheep Head.

Lu Ran's hair stood on end, his breath halting.

Was it just the call of a sheep,

yet could it really be this chilling?

"Huff!!"

There was no time for Lu Ran to react, as the Black Sheep Head came crashing down!

The tiny human,

completely submerged by the black sea of flames...

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