Compared to the cautious Minister of Magic, this major general was much more forthright and direct in his approach. Seeing everyone present in a difficult situation, he stepped forward and declared, "I don't know if one hellgate can produce two demons, but I do know that demons are attempting to invade our homeland. As a soldier, that is something I cannot tolerate."
The major general's words jolted the Minister of Magic. He took a breath and looked at the major general, saying, "Regardless, we cannot avoid this. Inform your subordinates to enter combat readiness. Now."
"Understood."
With that, the major general turned to leave.
"Come back!"
The Minister of Magic called out to the departing major general, stepping forward to instruct him, "There are many civilians near the West City. My immediate notification to the SWAT team is not to engage the demons. Your first priority is to cooperate with the SWAT team and local police to evacuate all nearby civilians. Only then will you deal with the demons. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
After the major general left, the Minister of Magic pondered for a moment, then walked to the phone and dialed, intending to report the night's events.
While the Ministry of Magic was making active deployments, on the other side, no demons had yet emerged from the hellgate in the amusement park.
However, unlike before, Bai Qi was not in a hurry this time. Instead, he produced popcorn from who-knew-where, munching on it while watching the hellgate, a smirk constantly playing on his lips, as if witnessing an amusing spectacle.
It wasn't an exaggeration to call it watching a show. Others might not see through it, but with Bai Qi's abilities, he could easily see through the hellgate and witness what was happening behind it.
At that moment, Zhong Su and Di Kui were fighting near the hellgate, their dispute naturally arising from the gate itself.
Bai Qi had only spoken to Zhong Su about this initially, offering half of Di Kui's earth power as a reward. Somehow, Zhong Su managed to obtain the earth power but also revealed the matter to Di Kui.
Now, to contend for the last spot out of hell, the two were locked in a fierce, evenly matched battle.
Di Kui did have a degree of control over Zhong Su, but with half of his earth power having been cunningly acquired by Zhong Su, the balance of power meant neither side could gain a significant advantage.
Bai Qi was happy to watch them fight, but prolonged fighting was undesirable. After all, this was not his territory, and any extended delay could lead to unforeseen complications, especially as he had more important matters to attend to.
With this thought, Bai Qi stood up, casually tossed his half-eaten popcorn onto the ground, gathered his strength, and at the opportune moment, unleashed a blast of dragon's breath.
The dragon's breath pierced through the hellgate and struck Di Kui directly, who was in the midst of his battle with Zhong Su.
Their fight was already at a stalemate, and Bai Qi's dragon's breath caught Di Kui completely off guard.
Zhong Su, aware that Bai Qi was assisting him, felt grateful and seized the opportunity. He shoved Di Kui away and burst through the hellgate.
As Zhong Su passed through the hellgate, Di Kui reacted and tried to follow him out, but the hellgate gave him no such chance.
It closed the instant Zhong Su exited, leaving the unfortunate Di Kui to remain alone in hell.
Emerging from the gate, Zhong Su looked down at Bai Qi, his previous arrogance completely gone. This was not only because Bai Qi had just helped him but also because he felt the terrifying power radiating from Bai Qi.
Zhong Su understood that during his time trapped in hell, Bai Qi had furiously increased his strength. With this shift in power, he was no longer an equal match for Bai Qi.
At this juncture, prudence dictated a low profile and recovery of his strength.
With this in mind, Zhong Su approached Bai Qi. Without waiting for Bai Qi to speak, he consciously produced the earth power he had obtained from Di Kui and handed it to Bai Qi.
Seeing Zhong Su's compliance, Bai Qi accepted the earth power and absorbed it into his body in front of him.
"Well, Holy Lord, our transaction is complete. I'll be... leaving now."
Facing the current Bai Qi, Zhong Su had absolutely no confidence left.
Observing the timid Zhong Su, Bai Qi smiled, a wild, unrestrained smile. He revealed his true form, his height growing to match Zhong Su's.
"No need to be in such a hurry."
Bai Qi said with a smile, patting Zhong Su's shoulder. "You've just arrived on the surface and are unfamiliar with the surroundings. Why not come to my place? At least you'll have somewhere to stay."
Looking at Bai Qi's beaming face and the hand on his shoulder, Zhong Su inwardly grumbled and tried to refuse. "No, no need. I'll go find Xi Mu instead."
As he spoke, he attempted to remove Bai Qi's hand from his shoulder.
But at that moment, Zhong Su realized that things were not as simple as they seemed. The hand was like a vise, clamping down on his shoulder with unyielding force.
This was not the most alarming part. The most critical issue was that the other party was absorbing the little strength he had left within him.
"Holy Lord, you!"
By now, even a fool would understand the problem. The other party intended to consume him.
With this realization, Zhong Su stopped holding back. If the other party insisted on a fight, then so be it. He would fight to the bitter end.
Zhong Su gathered lightning in his hand, preparing to deliver a close-range electrotherapy to Bai Qi. However, Bai Qi was quicker. He preemptively struck, forcefully extinguishing the nascent lightning before it could fully form. Then, he tightened his grip on Zhong Su's shoulder and slammed him violently to the ground.
Zhong Su tried to get up, but the next moment, immense psionic force like a mountain descended upon him. Bai Qi, meanwhile, frantically absorbed the lightning power from his body.
"Get off me!"
Growing weaker, Zhong Su, desperate for survival, fought back with all his might, releasing a surge of lightning from his body, attempting to push Bai Qi back with his remaining strength.
Unfortunately, he had underestimated Bai Qi. Such a level of lightning strike only caused Bai Qi a bit of pain, which he endured with gritted teeth, unable to repel him. Instead, it only enraged Bai Qi further.
The furious Bai Qi landed several powerful punches on Zhong Su's chest, his immense strength causing Zhong Su's entire chest to cave in. Before Zhong Su could even let out a cry of pain, Bai Qi's large hand seized his head and smashed it down onto the ground.
*Boom!*
With the added force, Zhong Su's head was inevitably driven into the ground.
The severe head trauma, while not fatal, was enough to disorient him. Bai Qi, using this opportunity, rapidly absorbed the power from Zhong Su's body.
Soon, Zhong Su's strength was completely drained by Bai Qi, and he dissipated into specks of lightning.
"Well, lightning really isn't very easy to control."