novelraw Chapter 145: It’s a Good Sword
Chapter 145: It’s a Good Sword
The next second.
Blondie was still grinning cheekily at the camera, completely unaware that the dark figure behind him had already closed in.
Beneath the green-faced, fanged mask was a pair of pitch-black eyes.
The Aberrant charged forward fiercely.
A dark shadow flashed by.
"Bang!"
The sudden gunshot was exceptionally clear in the silent night.
Contrary to expectations, Blondie wasn't scared stiff; instead, he calmly spun around sharply.
He just happened to see three tranquilizer darts whizz past the Aberrant's clothing.
"Holy shit! There really is something!" Blondie blurted out, then immediately realized his slip-up and quickly corrected himself to the camera: "Ahem... folks, that gunshot was just special effects for the show! Our livestream is all about positive energy. It's getting late now, time for me to sign off. See you next time, family."Saying this, he ignored the dissuasion from the live chat.
And immediately shut down the livestream.
At the same time.
The entire street came alive.
A burly man wielding a shotgun, with a chain wrapped around the barrel, rushed out from the alley on the left.
On the right, the second-floor window of a residential building shattered as a female Purifier with a high ponytail burst through the window, landing with two short swords crackling with electricity.
The manhole cover at the intersection was pushed open from below, and a muddy, overweight man emerged, holding an ancient-looking shield covered in barbs.
The Aberrant was clearly stunned too, its green eyes beneath the mask wide with surprise.
"Close the net!"
Following the order, over a dozen Purifiers moved simultaneously.
They surged out from various hidden corners all along the street.
An instant transformation, like a magic trick revealing people.
The street, which had been empty... or rather, only occupied by Blondie, instantly became bustling.
The burly man with the shotgun fired first; the specialized projectile exploded mid-air, transforming into a large net shimmering with blue light.
The female Purifier crossed her twin swords, slashing out two arcs of purple lightning.
The overweight man simply slammed his shield into the ground; the barbs dug into the earth, then erupted from underneath the Aberrant's feet!
On the rooftop of a distant high-rise.
Su Zhan's eyes narrowed slightly.
It was obvious that this seemingly unprofessional and greedy streamer, Blondie, was actually a Purifier.
The purpose of his focused exploration mission here was simple.
A sting operation.
And it had succeeded, actually luring out an Aberrant.
Meanwhile, on the street.
After dodging frantically, the Aberrant opened its large mouth and spewed a cloud of dark green mist that instantly enveloped the entire street.
"Watch out for the poison mist!"
The female Purifier shouted, crossing her swords in front of her, the electrical energy forming a barrier.
Seizing the chance, the Aberrant tumbled, evaded the electric net, and scrambled on all fours like a beast towards a small alley by the roadside.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Three consecutive shots hit the ground behind it, sparking off the pavement.
The burly man cursed and flung the chain from his shotgun.
The chain whipped towards the Aberrant's legs.
But just before contact, the creature made a sharp turn and dodged.
"Dammit, it runs faster than a rabbit!"
The overweight man, holding his shield, panted heavily as he gave chase from behind.
The Aberrant leaped, its claws grabbing the railing of a second-floor balcony, looking like it was about to flip over it.
"Zzzap!"
A bolt of purple lightning struck its back.
The female Purifier had somehow circled around to the side.
Her twin swords were plunged into the ground, the electric current conducting through the earth.
The Aberrant convulsed violently and fell down.
But it quickly got back up, its green eyes flashing with a frenzied light.
"Not good! It's going to self-destruct!"
Blondie yelled.
Everyone immediately sought cover.
The next second, a burst of green mist erupted violently, obscuring everyone's vision.
By the time the mist cleared.
The Aberrant was gone.
"Fuck! It got away!"
The burly man kicked a trash can hard.
The female Purifier crouched down, picking up a few shed scales from the ground: "Don't panic, it's injured. It can't have gone far. Maintain contact, split up and pursue. Report immediately if you encounter it!"
"Roger!"
The team responded in unison.
...
The Aberrant raced through the maze-like alleys.
This old district in the eastern suburbs seemed like its hunting ground.
Its escape route meticulously avoided the surveillance cameras at the street corners.
It passed under three clotheslines, vaulted over two low walls.
The Aberrant stopped in front of an abandoned power distribution room.
A rusty iron door hung with a "High Voltage Danger" warning sign.
The Aberrant didn't use the door.
It crouched down, its claws prying at a few loose bricks at the base of the wall.
The bricks moved aside.
Revealing a hole in the wall just large enough for an adult to squeeze through with difficulty.
It squeezed through arduously.
Inside the wall was a secret room less than five square meters.
Yellowed missing person posters were spread on a moldy tatami mat, and a pile of over a dozen empty cans sat in the corner.
A map was nailed to the wall.
Every small alley in the eastern suburbs of Yun City was meticulously marked in red, with several locations crossed out – the positions of surveillance cameras.
Inside the secret room.
The Aberrant dialed a number.
"Bzz—"
The call connected.
"The bait took the hook."
The Aberrant's voice was hoarse and low: "Twelve Purifiers, all exposed, and currently searching for me within the residential area of the eastern suburbs."
"Begin closing the net."
A light laugh came from the other end, a male voice: "Remember to keep that streamer alive. His father is someone from the Council, quite valuable."
The call ended.
Pale gray mist surged from all directions, converging along the boundaries of this residential area in the eastern suburbs, forming a wall of fog.
All electronic devices simultaneously failed.
Blondie's earpiece transmitted one last, broken alarm: "Alert... Mist..."
Then fell completely silent.
"Shit!"
Blondie ripped off his earpiece, shouting to those around him: "Everyone, be advised! It's the Mist!"
Three hundred meters away.
The burly man carrying the shotgun turned around sharply.
Even without instruments, it was visible.
The mist was advancing slowly like a living wall, encircling the entire area, turning it into an island.
"Xiao Tang! Xiao Ma!"
The burly man yelled at the top of his lungs: "Rally at Plan B location!"
The female Purifier decisively pulled a signal flare from her tactical belt and fired it upwards.
The red signal flare exploded in the air, dissipating slowly.
Seeing this, the Purifiers immediately began converging towards the signal flare.
Within this area, all electronic devices had failed, including their communication equipment and surveillance.
Now they had to find their teammates.
Because at a time like this, without communicators, they needed to find their teammates to report information promptly and to stick together for safety.
Inside the secret room of the power distribution room.
The Aberrant looked up at the rusty clock hanging on the wall.
"Almost time."
It muttered to itself, its claws moving the bricks in the corner aside, revealing the narrow passage.
The Aberrant skillfully contracted its body, scales pressing tightly against it, and began slithering out like a snake.
Its head emerged from the hole in the wall.
A blade came chopping down from above.
"Thud—"
The sensation of the blade cutting into the scales was like slicing through tough rubber, followed by the hard cervical vertebrae.
Su Zhan's wrist pressed down, the blade cutting through the gap between the bones.
The Aberrant's head rolled to the ground, its headless body still frozen in the posture of crawling out, bright red blood splattering against the wall.
Su Zhan shook the blood off his blade and looked down at the head that had rolled to his feet.
The shock in those pitch-black eyes hadn't yet faded, its mouth still opening and closing unconsciously.
"Indeed, a good blade."
Su Zhan hefted the weight of the sword.
This specially made alloy sword was only acquired from the Equipment Hall last week.
This Aberrant's level was at Low-Risk Tier 7.
He had managed to behead it with one strike while it was completely off guard.
Of course, this feat was only possible thanks to the speed buff from the Eyes of the Abyss and the Aberrant's pure power enhancement.
Now it seemed, it certainly felt much more handy to wield than the retired twin blades from before.
Lifting his foot.
Su Zhan crushed the head that was still twitching slightly.
Those Purifiers hadn't managed to keep up with this Aberrant, but he had.
A major reason was that his Life Soul was of the control type, requiring mental power, so his mental power was stronger than that of an average Awakened of the same level.
This allowed him to track and lock onto his target more effectively.