If Bai Qi had directly revealed his true form and gone on a killing spree in his rage, that would have been exactly what the righteous forces wanted. Then, the protagonist group and other righteous factions would have had legitimate grounds to join the fray.
Bai Qi had tolerated the previous provocations, understanding that haste could ruin great plans. He wasn't the arrogant Holy Lord of old. But now, facing repeated taunts from the righteous forces, and sensing the time was right, he decided it was time to invite the main players onto the stage. Bai Qi no longer intended to endure.
"Hey, hey, hey, are you an idiot? Hand over the money, or I'll make you..."
Seeing Bai Qi standing still and silent, the leader of the thugs grew impatient and spoke, but before he could finish, he froze.
Bai Qi's body rapidly expanded, his dark green skin and scarlet pupils delivering a powerful visual impact to these ordinary mortals.
"It's... it's... it's a demon!"
As soon as the leader of the thugs uttered those words, a searing laser beam pierced his chest. The intense heat instantly cauterized the wound, preventing him from feeling the pain of death.
Bai Qi showed no mercy to the remaining thugs. A sweep of his laser eyes left them all cleanly severed at the waist.
It had to be said that sometimes Bai Qi truly admired the boldness of foreigners. Perhaps due to their constant exposure to gunfights, many travelers, upon witnessing Bai Qi's appearance and his swift execution of several people, didn't flee but instead took out their phones to take pictures.
It wasn't until Bai Qi unleashed a scorching dragon's breath towards the sky, making them feel the true danger, that these spectators, with cries of alarm, scattered like startled birds.
Watching the crowds flee in all directions, Bai Qi nodded with satisfaction. This was the demeanor of a villain making an entrance. He expected the lackeys of the righteous forces to track him down soon. Whether it was a coincidence or a ploy by the righteous forces, it turned out that a reporter and their crew were doing a live broadcast near the ruin site. Upon discovering Bai Qi, they abandoned their news report and rushed towards him with their long lenses, powerful cameras, and a news helicopter, pushing their recklessness to the extreme.
Looking up at the helicopter hovering overhead, Bai Qi could have easily shot it down if he wished, but he didn't. He let it circle in the air.
Meanwhile, far away in America, the protagonist group was still living a quiet life in their father's antique shop.
Xiao Yu sat in front of the television, watching programs with boredom.
After experiencing a few things, Xiao Yu's greatest improvement was in her perspective. It was now difficult for anything to genuinely pique her interest. Even watching classmates her age, their activities seemed so childish and dull.
Because of this, Xiao Yu appeared out of place among her peers. And in American schools, as anyone familiar would know, those who don't fit in often face exclusion, isolation, and even bullying.
Xiao Yu had encountered these issues as well, but she wouldn't simply endure. When she was bullied by a burly senior student, Xiao Yu decisively intervened, subduing him on the ground with a few quick moves.
When the teacher arrived and saw the injured, crying male student lying on the ground like an infant, and then looked at Xiao Yu, who appeared unfazed, it felt strange. Yet, there was a nagging feeling that Xiao Yu was the perpetrator. Furthermore, the other student's parents had already stormed the school, determined to get an explanation. After weighing the situation, the school promptly sent Xiao Yu home to reflect.
With nothing else to do, Xiao Yu idly pressed the remote control.
"Huh? What the hell!"
Upon seeing a familiar face on the screen, Xiao Yu couldn't help but exclaim.
Hearing this, Uncle Dragon emerged from his room, about to scold her, but was interrupted by Xiao Yu.
Xiao Yu pointed at the TV screen and said, "The Holy Lord! It's the Holy Lord! He's on TV!"
Following Xiao Yu's gaze, Uncle Dragon saw that it was indeed the Holy Lord on the screen. A "Live Broadcast" notification in the upper right corner and the bodies of the deceased humans in the image made Uncle Dragon's brow furrow.
Uncle Dragon had assumed that the Holy Lord, having been absent for so long, had reformed and was diligently governing his country.
It seemed he had been mistaken. A demon was always a demon; their brutality and bloodlust could never be changed.
Uncle Dragon was about to inform his father about the Holy Lord's appearance and plan their next move when, before he could, his father rushed out of his study.
"Oh no! This is bad!"
Seeing Uncle Dragon, his father grabbed his arm and said, "Black energy is surging. The Holy Lord is making another big move."
"I already know, Father."
"You know? How?"
Uncle Dragon remained silent and simply pointed to the television.
Upon seeing the live broadcast on the screen, his father's cry intensified.
"Oh dear! Where is this? The Holy Lord wouldn't appear without reason. We must stop him, or there will be great trouble."
Seeing this, Uncle Dragon tried to comfort him, "Father, please calm down. I'll call Captain Black. He'll surely know the details."
It wasn't Uncle Dragon's fault; his father was old, and his health wasn't as robust as it used to be. If he continued to get this agitated, his heart might give out.
"Alright, hurry and make the call."
At this moment, Tohru also rushed out from the kitchen, helped his father to the sofa to rest, and poured him a cup of hot tea.
Without hesitation, Uncle Dragon immediately took out his phone and called Captain Black.
The call was quickly answered, but before Uncle Dragon could speak, Captain Black on the other end said, "Jackie, the Holy Lord has made a new move."
"I know. I saw it on TV. Father believes the Holy Lord's sudden appearance means something big is happening, and he wants to know if you have any details."
After a moment of thought, Captain Black replied, "I've only just heard about it. The Holy Lord appeared at a tourist attraction in Western Spain, and there have already been significant casualties."
After a few seconds of silence, Captain Black added, "S.H.I.E.L.D. has already responded to this."
Uncle Dragon didn't hang up immediately. Instead, he relayed Captain Black's information to his father word for word.
"Only magic can defeat magic!" Upon hearing this, his father became agitated and exclaimed, "More ordinary people will only lead to more casualties."
Uncle Dragon didn't argue. He turned to Captain Black on the phone and said, "You heard him. If possible, please arrange a plane for me."
"Of course, we're friends. The plane will be here in five minutes."
Captain Black specifically emphasized the word "friends."
After hanging up, Captain Black's expression was not pleasant. The reason wasn't Uncle Dragon, nor the Holy Lord causing trouble again. After all, the Holy Lord wasn't in America, and even if he were, it wasn't within his jurisdiction.
Captain Black was annoyed with S.H.I.E.L.D. Upon receiving the news, they hadn't informed him immediately but chose to act independently. Although they weren't subordinate to each other, let's not forget that Section Thirteen was the first to confront the Holy Lord. In terms of experience and understanding of the Holy Lord, it shouldn't have been S.H.I.E.L.D.'s place.