"Xiao Qi, did your teacher leave?"
Only after seeing off Zhao Kongcheng did Auntie hurry out of the kitchen. "Oh, why didn't you ask him to stay for a meal before leaving? You child..."
Lin Qiye shook his head. "He has something to do later and won't stay for dinner."
"What did your teacher say?"
"Nothing much. He said there was a sports test and specifically came to ask about the situation of my eyes."
"This Teacher Zhao is really a nice person. He even came to the student's home to ask about the situation. By the way, before you came back, he helped me wash the vegetables in the kitchen. He looks big and burly, but I didn't expect him to be so meticulous in doing things."
Auntie wiped her apron with her hand, turned off the rumbling range hood, and said to Lin Qiye:
"The meal is almost ready. Call your brother to come and have dinner together."
"Okay."
A moment later, the family of three was neatly seated around the table. There were seven dishes on the table, all looking delicious in color, aroma, and taste, making people's mouths water!
"Scrambled eggs with tomatoes, stewed chicken soup, stir-fried string beans... and sweet and sour spare ribs?!" Yang Jin looked at the table full of food and swallowed. "Mom, how long has it been since our family had such a sumptuous meal?"
"Xiao Qi's eyes are better now. This is an even bigger happy event than the Spring Festival. Of course, it has to be more grand!" Auntie said as a matter of course.
Lin Qiye lowered his head, looked at Xiao Hei Lai, who was wagging its tail like crazy, and smiled:
"It seems that Xiao Hei Lai can also have a good meal tonight."
"He's lucky." Auntie smiled and picked up the teacup in front of her. "To celebrate Xiao Qi's eye recovery, cheers!"
"Cheers!"
"Cheers!!"
...
Under the dim clouds, the faint light of dusk had long since disappeared, and the sky and the earth seemed to be covered with a black veil.
The rain was swaying in the wind.
The lights in the distant urban area were gorgeous.
In this old and shabby residential area, a figure wearing a dark red cloak was running wildly in the rain, holding a large suitcase in his hand.
The rainwater fell down Zhao Kongcheng's cheeks. It was clearly a summer rain, but it had an inexplicable chill.
"Are you sure the King of Masked Men really came in this direction?" Zhao Kongcheng frowned.
In the earpiece, Wu Xiangnan's voice sounded.
"Not sure. Ten minutes ago, our search team found the bloodstains of the King of Masked Men in the nearby sewer network. Judging from its whereabouts, the destination can only be that old residential area or the city center."
"There are two suspected destinations?"
"That's right."
"Then what should we do? Divide into two teams and guard them?"
"Theoretically, that's the case. But the population flow in the city center is huge, and we can't easily evacuate the crowd. Once the King of Masked Men appears in the city center, it will not only cause a large number of casualties but also easily lead to panic. So, we sent most of our combat power to station in the city center."
"What about the old residential area? If the King of Masked Men appears here, the people here will also be in danger!"
"The old residential area has fewer residents and they are more scattered. It's easier to evacuate compared to the city center. Moreover..."
"Moreover, even if the King of Masked Men comes here, it won't cause too much damage, right?" There was a hint of anger in Zhao Kongcheng's voice. "The people living here are also living beings!"
"Lao Zhao, calm down!" Wu Xiangnan's voice was extremely serious. "I've never said to give up the old residential area. Now Hong Ying is leading people there. Your task is to evacuate the residents of the old residential area as soon as possible.
Also, even if the King of Masked Men really goes there, don't have a direct confrontation with it. The King of Masked Men is not something you can deal with. Open the [No-Rule Airspace] to trap it if necessary."
Zhao Kongcheng slowly released his clenched fist and let out a sigh.
"Understood."
Although Zhao Kongcheng was a bit resentful in his heart, he knew very well that this was the most correct way to do it.
After all, if the King of Masked Men really went to the urban area, with such a dense population there, it could just hide in some dark corner and kill a few people to recover from its injuries. And once it was exposed to the public, it would definitely cause panic.
So, no matter how many people were sent to the urban area, it wouldn't be too many; it would only feel insufficient.
In the old residential area, there were fewer people living, and the distance between them was relatively far. Even if the King of Masked Men came here, it would take time to recover from its injuries, and the possibility of it being exposed was very small.
In this situation, Wu Xiangnan was already being very reasonable by sending people to the old residential area.
Now, he had to hurry up and evacuate the residents of the old residential area.
This was a race against time!
Zhao Kongcheng's figure shuttled through the rain at an astonishing speed. The falling raindrops hit the suitcase in his hand, blooming into crystal-clear splashes.
Not far away, in the hazy water vapor, the familiar low house became clearer and clearer.
A few minutes ago, he had just come out of there.
Zhao Kongcheng's heart was full of mixed feelings. Calculating the time, that family should have started having dinner, right? He remembered there were sweet and sour spare ribs, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, stir-fried string beans...
By the way, he was the one who washed those string beans.
Damn it, I just showed off in front of that kid and said to leave the matter of protecting the world to myself. Now I have to go up and knock on the door to ask them to evacuate quickly...
This makes me look really embarrassed, okay?
However, it's not the time to worry about face now.
Zhao Kongcheng dashed forward stepping on the rainwater. But at this moment, an extremely disgusting smell suddenly rushed into his nostrils!
His pupils suddenly contracted, and he stopped in his tracks!
Crash...
The noise of the rain filled Zhao Kongcheng's mind. He turned his neck cautiously and slowly, his eyes wide open, for fear of missing any detail.
Then, his gaze fell on the manhole cover not far away.
The smell was getting stronger and stronger.
Zhao Kongcheng tightly gripped the handle of the suitcase. He took a deep breath, bent down slightly, and placed the suitcase on the ground.
He knew very well what this smell meant.
"Report, Watcher Zhao Kongcheng has found the King of Masked Men in the old residential area..." He turned on the earpiece, his voice very calm.
As he spoke, he pressed the button on the suitcase.
Pop——!
The suitcase opened, revealing three neatly arranged and brand-new Notice Boards inside.
Zhao Kongcheng carried the three Notice Boards, placed one on the spot, and then dashed towards the other side!
Almost the moment Zhao Kongcheng finished speaking, Wu Xiangnan's voice came from the other end of the earpiece.
"Understood! I've already given the order. The Night Watchers are moving towards the old residential area, and Hong Ying and the others will be there soon. It will take at most ten minutes!
Ten minutes! Lao Zhao, set up the [No-Rule Airspace] and temporarily trap it!"
Zhao Kongcheng put down the second Notice Board and ran towards the other vertex of the triangle while saying helplessly:
"Xiangnan, the [No-Rule Airspace] is used to hide battles, not to trap people. It can't trap the King of Masked Men for ten minutes."
Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle...
The rainwater flowed into the manhole cover along the slope of the ground. But suddenly, the entire manhole cover shook violently, and the rainwater that had originally flowed into it was like a boiling spring, surging out crazily!
"No matter what, don't have a direct battle with the King of Masked Men!" Wu Xiangnan's voice became obviously anxious. "Lao Zhao, the old residential area is so big. Even if the King of Masked Men comes out, it may not cause losses in a short time.
In these ten minutes, even if it kills a few people, it won't recover much strength!
Civilian casualties caused by'mysteries' are happening every moment. We Night Watchers aren't gods and can't prevent all deaths and injuries. And if we lose a core team member because of a seriously injured King of Masked Men, it's definitely not worth it!
Lao Zhao, Lao Zhao! Can you hear me?"
Bang——!
The manhole cover was ejected like a shell and soared into the air. From the dark sewer entrance, a ferocious arm suddenly stretched out, and then a monster several times larger than the original Masked Man leaped out of it!
Zhao Kongcheng calmly watched this scene, slowly put down the last Notice Board in his hand, bit his fingertip, and painted a horizontal line of blood on the surface of the Notice Board.
"Xiangnan, do you still remember the oath you took..."
Zhao Kongcheng stared at the King of Masked Men in front of him, squatted down slightly, and his peripheral vision fell on the small residential building not far away.
"If the dark night finally arrives, I will surely stand in front of thousands of people...
This time, there are no thousands of people behind me,
But,
Behind me...
There is the whole world of that child."
His hands suddenly clasped together.
An invisible canvas enveloped this small triangle.
"Forbidden Ruins... [No-Rule Airspace]!"