Newspaper Boy
Chapter 34: The Drunkard
The Dionysus Club had come knocking. Tch, Mr. Bill was an old dog in this business, how could he be so careless... Zhang Yuanqing thought of recent events and made a guess in his heart. He pretended to be nonchalant and smiled, "If Mr. Bill isn't available, I'll come back another day."
Although he wanted to help Mr. Bill and Annie, without knowing the enemy's methods, numbers, and without his Yin corpse, he planned to retreat first and call Fu Qingyang directly. After saying this, he turned to leave, but as soon as he took a step, his body lurched forward. His legs didn't move at all, and his brain seemed to have lost control over them. Not possession. Zhang Yuanqing had never encountered this situation before and quickly braced himself with one hand to avoid ending up like a dog whistle in the mud.
At that moment, a sharp "psst" sounded, and a deadly bullet came from the left, hitting him off guard, right on the skull. The enormous impact made his head tilt.
With a Star Official's defense, a large-caliber bullet hitting a vital spot at close range, even if not life-threatening, could cause serious damage.
But the bullet "dinged" and bounced a few times, failing to harm the enemy. The unscathed Zhang Yuanqing looked intently and saw that the bullet head was silver, with intricate patterns.
——He had taken out the "Unyielding Protector's Mirror" when he fell. "Ooo-choo-choo."
A series of gunshots echoed immediately after. The attacker seemed not to believe in evil and fired bullets at him one after another. All were blocked by a thin "shell," and the bullets created faint ripples. Braving the dense barrage, Zhang Yuanqing turned his head to look at the end of the corridor. At the entrance to the office area stood a bald man, six-foot-three tall, wearing a fitted t-shirt, with bulging muscles and tattoos all over his arms.
Green eyes, a high nose, and deep-set eye sockets, a typical Western face. "Hmph!" Zhang Yuanqing snorted and rolled on the ground, entering Night Wander.
He didn't counterattack immediately but took out the "Lucky Necklace." He recalled that the guy just now seemed to be able to manipulate the target's body, causing them to fall for no reason. Although he didn't know the exact principle, wearing the Lucky Necklace could make him lucky enough to avoid being affected.
Then, he summoned the Bloodthirsty Blade, held it in his hand, and swiftly approached the bald man. "Night Wanderer."
The bald man's brow twitched, obviously recognizing the enemy's class. He quickly reached out, grabbed a conch, put it to his lips, and blew.
In the slightly sharp sonic waves, a large amount of illusory seawater poured out of the conch, solidifying into a tall steed made of illusory seawater. It reared its head and neighed, charging forward along the not-so-wide corridor.
Behind it were layers upon layers of cascading waves.
The steed's impact was extremely strong, but for a Star Official, it was within the range that could be withstood. However, the layers of cascading "waves" were unavoidable in this rather narrow corridor.
Zhang Yuanqing paused, held the Bloodthirsty Blade in reverse, and punched the steed head-on. "Boom!" In the void, it seemed as if the sound of surging and collapsing waves rang out. The sea horse rushing towards him was blasted apart by him, but his body inevitably surfaced, staggering back a few steps.
Shattering a sea horse with brute force... This is a Star Official. The bald man's face changed. His pupils were filled with drunkenness, his gaze was unfocused, like a drunk.
Immediately afterwards, he quickly turned around, decisively abandoning the entanglement, intending to escape into the office area. The next second, a silhouette in a bright red wedding dress appeared behind him, clinging to his back, freezing the bald man in place.
Zhang Yuanqing's body was not affected in any way. He collapsed into a cluster of dreamlike starlight and appeared behind the foreign man. The Bloodthirsty Blade stabbed upwards diagonally. "Pfft!"
The sharp tip of the blade pierced the man's heart. Black and red blood instantly gushed out along the blade, turning into a trickle, dripping onto the synthetic carpet.
Zhang Yuanqing twisted the hilt of the blade with his right hand and punched the man's temple with his left. Bang! The man's head tilted, his cervical vertebrae fractured, and his head hung crookedly on his shoulder. Just an Extraordinary Realm... Zhang Yuanqing pulled out the blade, listened for a few seconds, and the office area behind a door was silent, seemingly undisturbed by the fight outside.
"This man is guarding here, there must be accomplices inside. The commotion just now could be heard by a blind person, there's no way the people inside didn't notice. Is it because the battle has reached a critical moment, and they can't spare the attention? Or are they just waiting at the door to ambush? Fortunately, none of this is a problem for a Star Official." Zhang Yuanqing whispered to himself, not rashly entering but dragging the bald man's body to the front desk.
First, he found a makeup mirror on the receptionist's desk, opened it, and looked at his face. His appearance was the same as when he came, his omen slightly dark, but not even close to being injured. "Clang!"
He closed the makeup mirror, the starlight in his eye sockets dissipated, and darkness surged. He saw that within the bald man's body, a fragmented spirit quickly gathered, forming a illusory, menacing figure. Zhang Yuanqing used "Spirit Devour" and swallowed it in one gulp.
Fragmented memories flashed like slides. Through important memory fragments, he roughly understood the man's life.
The bald man was called "Josh Enoch," a mid-level member of the Dionysus Club, managing 10-15 junior members, equivalent to the position of a Five Elements Alliance captain. This time, he secretly came to Songhai with the senior members team to assist the club's top management in finding the president of the Merchant Guild.
He didn't know how many members of the "top management" came, whether it was the legendary owner who founded the club single-handedly, or several platinum members of the action department. Senior member teams only needed to wait for orders and complete them.
This time, the leader of the operation against "Bill Tarantino" was senior member Baker Fernal, a Level 5 Saint, assisted by another Saint, Yul Bann, and four mid-level members.
It's worth mentioning that the Level 5 Saint Baker Fernal possesses a "Nightless" class item. To ensure the smooth operation and prevent the prey from escaping, he used the item to seal off the entire office area, isolating it from the outside world.
In addition, Zhang Yuanqing learned the class of the Dionysus Club members through reading memories - Tippler.
The office area is sealed off? No wonder there's no movement inside after fighting for so long outside... There are also two Saints inside, and several Extraordinary. Bill and Annie are also Saints, but most likely Level 4. Moreover, Void and Lust don't seem to be the type of classes that are good at head-on fights. They are in danger..." Zhang Yuanqing immediately took out his phone and called Fu Qingyang. "What's the matter?"
Qian Gongzi's familiar voice rang through the speaker, clearly enunciated, cold and aloof. "Leader, Mr. Bill and Annie have been attacked by people from the Dionysus Club..." He explained the situation here as quickly as possible.
"I know." Fu Qingyang's voice was still calm: "Are you sure there is no omen of bloodshed on your face?"
"Yes, I've looked twice today." Although puzzled by Fu Qingyang's somewhat trivial question, Zhang Yuanqing patiently answered.
"There is a consumable item of Saint quality in the gang warehouse, called 'Bomber's Rampage'. Use it to break the seal. Yuanshi, the task of rescuing Bill is entrusted to you." Fu Qingyang said! What? Zhang Yuanqing was stunned.
Fu Qingyang seemed to know he would be confused and said:
"We cannot be sure whether the ruler of the Dionysus Club, or even the owner, is lurking in the dark to ambush reinforcements. If so, then my going over now is likely to be a mistake. And since you've looked at your face and confirmed that you're safe, then it means that the high-level members of the Dionysus Club think that only a small fry has been attracted, and most likely they won't bother to take action, choosing to hide, so you're safe.
"If all of this is just my guess, and no one is watching in the dark, then your taking action now can still save Bill and Annie, without needing me, the leader."
This logic is flawless. Fu Qingyang is very stable and cautious. Also, although I am indeed a small fry in front of the truly powerful, don't say it so directly... Zhang Yuanqing complained in his heart while opening the White Tiger Guard's gang warehouse. He quickly scrolled down and found "Bomber's Rampage" among the dazzling array of items.
The so-called "Bomber's Rampage" is a pack of C4 explosives, square in shape, with intricate wires. The surface of the tin-plated wrapping has only a red button. Pressing the red button will cause an explosion after ten seconds...
Zhang Yuanqing immediately placed the bomb at the glass door and pressed the button. He immediately ran away, just like playing with firecrackers as a child.
At this time, the office area was in a mess. Dozens of employees were unconscious, some were趴on their desks, some were lying in the aisle, some were still alive, and some had already died from the aftermath of the battle. Blood stained the synthetic carpet red.
More than a third of the employees died in the battle. The moral values of both sides plummeted, and they had to fight in a more subtle way, refraining from using area-of-effect skills and trying to maximize micro-management to reduce casualties.
The huge office area was divided into two major battlefields. Bill Tarantino and Baker Fernal occupied one battlefield. This old gentleman with a touch of frost at his temples relied on the Void class's stealth and a rich inventory of items to barely withstand the Level 5 Saint's offensive.
Now he had put on a pair of exquisitely crafted black shoes. Whenever he faced a critical moment, he would slide towards Baker, always managing to defuse the crisis. But this was destined not to last long. The other battlefield belonged to Annie and her enemies, Level 4 Saint Yul Bann, a woman with silver hair, wearing smoky makeup, and wearing a studded leather jacket.
And three Extraordinary Practitioners who assisted her. Now there was only one left. The other two had taken off their pants and were lying on top of female employees, stiff and long dead.
At the beginning of the battle, Annie stimulated the two's desires, filling their minds with the idea of mating, burning their reason, and then blowing up the heads of the two Extraordinary Practitioners as they tried to vent their lust on the unconscious female employees.
The remaining one had a Wind Mage item; he could determine the target's actions based on the airflow, so he blinded himself in advance, ignoring Annie's charm, and shooting from a distance, thus avoiding the same miserable death as his companions.
Annie's situation was no better than Bill Tarantino's. She was not good at long-term fighting, and the opponent had two people, and the combat power of the evil class was inherently stronger than that of the orderly class. The reason why she had been able to hold on until now was partly due to the flexible use of her own skills, and partly because she had accumulated some wealth over the years, relying on items to hold on. In just a few minutes, three of her items were damaged, she had been cut three times, and two ribs were broken, making her very miserable.
Barefoot, with a tear in her suit skirt, Annie ducked and hid behind a desk, then lunged forward. Behind her came the sound of bullets hitting the desk and piercing the body.
The female employee sleeping on the desk had two bloody flowers bloom on her back, dying silently. Damn, I should have wrapped my chest up first... She half-rubbed and half-supported her trembling chest with one hand, and reached out from behind the desk with the other, firing at the attacker.
The gun in her hand was silver-white, with a caliber larger than a Desert Eagle. It was a gun that aimed itself. The holder only needed to pull the trigger at the target, and the handgun would automatically adjust the trajectory.
It was a Scout class item with the ability to discern.
Don't think this gun is only of Extraordinary quality, but it has great power, and the bullets in the magazine have been blessed by a Wind Mage, with extremely strong penetration. It could probably pierce a tank with one shot. The bullets pierced the floor twice with a bang, and then there was an ear-splitting sonic boom. The huge office area belatedly stirred up a gale, blowing up documents. But the enemy, with his eyes covered, seemed to have sensed her attack in advance and avoided it. Then, Annie felt a terrible killing intent approaching, and then everything went blurry; a figure jumped onto the desk where she was hiding.
It was Saint Yul Bann, this female Saint with smoky makeup and a cold face. She sank her knees and chopped down with the short knife in her hand, while her eyes became dazed and full of drunkenness. She used Brain Paralysis on Annie. In this state, the target's hands and feet would lose control and not listen to commands, like a drunken person, becoming a lamb to the slaughter. Sensing the howling wind above her head, Annie seemed to realize that she could not escape her fate. Tears welled up in her eyes, and her smile was mournful and beautiful.
Yul Bann, with a cold face, trembled in her heart, the drunkenness in her eyes dissipated, revealing emotions such as entanglement, pity, and reluctance. She actually forcefully retracted the short knife that was halfway down.
Bewitchment.
This skill is an enhanced version of charm, killing both men and women, but the influence on women is ultimately weaker than on men. The Lust class is not good at long battles, but it can maneuver and be resourceful, because it has this self-preservation skill. Seizing the opportunity, Annie raised the silver handgun and was about to pull the trigger on Yul Bann. However, the action she made was to smash the enemy with the handgun. Cognitive error!
She was like a drunk, forgetting how to use the handgun. "Chaos" is a characteristic of the Tippler class.
In just a few seconds, the two Saints each used their methods to defuse the other's killing move. Annie didn't try to pick up the handgun, but turned and ran barefoot, while taking out a life-size silicone doll from the item and throwing it behind her. "Clang!"
Yul Bann was about to split open the desk with her knife, but she missed. She was about to chase after this seductive bitch when she saw Annie, who was running away, throwing a doll of indistinguishable gender behind her.
The female Saint originally wanted to destroy the doll with a knife, but suddenly a strong reluctance welled up, as if this doll was a sweet first love, a beautiful childhood, a beloved that could not be given up in life.
At the same time, Annie, who was running, stimulated the enemy's lust.
The female Saint's eyes suddenly became dazed, her cheeks flushed, and she suddenly tightened her legs, with a spring tide surging under her leather pants. She abandoned the pursuit of Annie, hugged the doll, and panted as she went to untie her belt. When love is strong, all are welcome, no matter what.
Just as Yul Bann untied her belt, a flash of ruthlessness flashed in her dazed eyes. She still clung to the doll with one hand, kneeling on the doll and rubbing it constantly, but the other hand had already left the belt and reached out to grab in the air.
A tin triangle amulet with a blue lightning pattern was taken out by her, and she crushed it with her fingers. "Buzz-"
With her finger as the core, twisted blue electric snakes, like tentacles, shot out in all directions.
Yul Bann let out a shrill scream, her silver hair standing on end, and her body convulsing violently. Annie in front was swept by an electric snake, her delicate body suddenly stiffened and trembled in place. "Bang, bang." Seizing the opportunity, the Extraordinary Practitioner with his eyes covered, aimed at Annie and fired two shots. One shot aimed at the back, one shot aimed at the back of the head.
At this time, Annie was about to turn a corner. The bullet aimed at the back of her head was blocked by a wall column, and stones exploded on the spot, blasting out a large pit. The other bullet successfully hit Annie's back. The penetrating force knocked her to the ground, and her back was instantly stained red with blood.
The menacing arcs of electricity dissipated, and Yul Bann staggered towards Annie, who was lying on the ground, carrying her knife. "Cough, cough..."
Annie coughed violently, coughing up bloody water with bubbles. Her lungs had been destroyed by this shot. Listening to the staggering footsteps approaching behind her, she felt a despair in her heart. At this moment, there was a "boom" in the distance, and a violent air wave, mixed with flames, swept into the office area with destructive force. Bill Tarantino and Baker Fernal, who were barely holding on, stopped fighting at the same time and looked towards the direction of the explosion. Yul Bann also turned around with her knife, assuming a defensive posture. Who, who is coming? Annie struggled to raise her head, her face pale, and looked through the gaps between the desks.
She happened to see a dreamlike starlight appear behind the enemy with his eyes covered, saw the starlight condense into the appearance of Yuanshi Tianzun, and saw him swing a sharp weapon towards the enemy's neck.
A stealth technique without any disturbance of the air currents, letting the enemy not reacted, and his head rolling down from his neck.