"General, what happened?" An Rong asked when she heard that all instructors had been called together. She immediately knew something was wrong.
"Dr. An Rong, you're not combat personnel. Please return to your room."
"What's going on?"
"An unidentified enemy force is approaching. Leave it to us—we'll handle it."
The students also heard the sound of footsteps assembling outside. Through the windows, they saw massive mechanical structures rising from the ground, shaped like relic pagodas, surrounding the entire tower. It was a protective barrier that shielded the entire school.
The students' eyes widened. Many secretly felt lucky that they hadn't left. Otherwise, they would've missed this spectacle. Clearly, this school wasn't as simple as it looked. Beneath the plain-looking tower was a massive underground facility. And under the undecorated ground around them, there were even more hidden secrets.
"Something happened?!" The students leaned out and stared.
Ouyang Xin wondered if this had something to do with Ming Wu. With this kind of reaction, it had to be something serious.
"Look! There are even fighter jets coming up from underground?!!" The students saw hangar doors open again and two armed helicopters rising into the sky.
"Holy crap, what's going on?"
"Whatever it is, I'm staying. No matter how hard the training gets, I'll stick with it." Nothing excited students more than seeing a real combat situation.
"I wish I could see everything that's happening." After seeing just the surface, they were desperate to understand the full picture.
Of course, this was all part of a defensive response. Liu A'dou's report had been taken very seriously by the General. A major evil force from outer space had appeared within national borders—this couldn't be ignored. The General had to ensure the school's safety.
Over by the small waterfall, Liu A'dou looked up and saw two straight black streaks in the sky approaching fast. "Hide, now! They're here!"
Ming Wu glanced at Liu A'dou. If Liu A'dou could stay, so could he. So he stood right next to him, not moving an inch.
'Not bad,' Liu A'dou thought. 'You've got guts. Alright, I'll let you see just how vast the universe really is.'
Boom!
The air split open. The Black Lantern demons arrived and stood directly in front of Liu A'dou.
Each side had two people, but when Ming Wu saw their faces, cold sweat ran down his back. They didn't look alive at all. No sign of life. Their skin looked completely dehydrated—creepy beyond words.
The first thing Liu A'dou noticed were their hands. Yes—Black Lantern Rings. He didn't know where they got them, but their identities were now confirmed. Against Black Lantern demons, there was no need for talk. They were just weapons meant to kill.
But strangely, the Black Lantern demons didn't attack right away. Liu A'dou's senses flared. That wasn't normal. These were killers of the night, avatars of bloodshed. They should've ambushed immediately.
"This is bad. There are more!" Liu Anran had barely spoken when a scream came from far away—Liu Su.
They'd miscalculated. Liu A'dou hadn't expected so many Black Lantern demons. He swung his arm, fist clenched. A golden beam roared across the sky—that was Ripple Beam.
"Roar!" The demon attacking Liu Su was pierced straight through but didn't die. Liu A'dou knew Black Lantern demons were never that easy to kill. "Run!"
Li Cong grabbed Liu Su and turned into a puff of black smoke, fleeing into the distance.
The real battle had begun. From Zhao Yun's ring, black smoke emerged and transformed into a long spear, flying in like a dragon.
Boom!
Liu A'dou grabbed Ming Wu and took off into the air. Ming Wu was stunned. "Who the hell are you?" He could fly?! Definitely not a normal person.
There were three enemies—one used a spear, one had a knife, and the one who attacked earlier wielded a sword. Different weapons, but their techniques were flawless—absolutely top-tier masters.
"Flock of birds scatter!" Zhao Yun thrust his spear into the sky. Though the tip was still far from Liu A'dou, waves of force surged toward him like bullets. Liu A'dou activated the Force to block the oncoming attacks.
"Master, we're here!" Just as Liu A'dou was held back and couldn't counterattack, Kailan and Ben charged in from the side, heading straight for the three Black Lantern demons.
The rings on the Black Lanterns all bore the same symbol—a clenched fist. That same emblem appeared on their black uniforms.
"The Force is with me!" Ben shouted as he pulled a lightsaber from his waist and slashed toward the enemy.
The scene looked so familiar that Ming Wu struggled to place where he'd seen it before—until it hit him. This exact moment, even the line, was straight out of a movie.
And it really was the same. Ben's lightsaber flared with powerful energy. The Force was swift and overwhelming.
But Black Lantern demons couldn't be killed by methods meant for the living. Even with their heads sliced off by the saber, they didn't die.
"What kind of monster is this?!" Ben shoved with his left hand, Force-pushing the Black Lantern away.
"0.1%!" The enemy's emotional reaction was the source of the Black Lanterns' power. This was just the beginning.
"Like a mantis trying to stop a chariot!!" Li Jong roared. His once-pale skin now burned with fire-like markings—an inherited power from the final Dragon Emperor. His broadsword was suddenly wrapped in black smoke and transformed into a pitch-black Blade of Night.
The Blade of Night clashed with the lightsaber. "Darkness is eternal."
Ben stared in disbelief. His lightsaber's glow… was dimming? The light was being absorbed by the black blade??
1%!
Ben tried the same move again—he Force-pushed with his left hand at Li Jong's abdomen. But this time, he was stunned to feel a surge of power pushing back—Li Jong's energy matched the Force blow for blow.
Seeing Ben in danger, Kailan broke away from the two Black Lanterns entangling him and raised his hand toward Li Jong. "Force Lightning!!"
Liu A'dou was impressed by how smoothly the two disciples used the Force. But unfortunately, these enemies were undead. The Force and lightsabers alone weren't enough to stop them.
The lightning tore a hole through Li Jong's shoulder, but he didn't even flinch. The wound, clothes and all, quickly regenerated like nothing had happened.
"You two, fall back and protect Ming Wu!" Liu A'dou set Ming Wu down on the ground and faced the three Black Lantern demons alone.
He had to admit—it was a pain to fight enemies that couldn't die or be destroyed. But he was curious to see just how many times they could regenerate. He believed resurrection definitely burned through the power stored in their rings. If he drained that power, then he could truly kill them.
"If you want my heart, come take it!" Liu A'dou grabbed his left shoulder with his right hand and flung his entire outfit and disguise off.
A flash of white appeared before everyone's eyes.
"Kaitou Kid??!!" Ming Wu was stunned. Their temporary teacher was actually Kaitou Kid? Showing up here, in the middle of this remote forest, was more shocking than seeing the dead come back to life. He could barely believe it. Someone as legendary and classy as Kaitou Kid—here?!
Liu A'dou wasn't going down easily. The three Black Lantern demons all unleashed their strongest powers.
The lancer mounted his spectral horse. The swordsman controlled his flying blade. And Li Jong pushed his Black Lantern energy to its absolute peak.
All three shouted in unison: "Carve the heart, seize the soul, end your life!!!"