"Hey, you could have held on a little longer!"
Qing Yutong seemed to hear a somewhat teasing voice in her daze. 'Am I... dead?' She felt her mind was a bit hazy, and her Spiritual Eyes instinctively activated without her realizing it.
"Haaah—"
Qing Yutong's eyes snapped open as she heaved a heavy gasp for air. She subconsciously checked her own body. "No injuries at all... What about Captain? Mu Yao!"
Finally coming to her senses, Qing Yutong quickly scanned her surroundings. Only then did she realize that she and the captain were back at the place where they had found Clara. The captain and the other two were standing stiffly in a daze, their eyes seemingly glazed over. However, likely because she had regained consciousness, they also quickly snapped out of it.
"Aaaah! My leg! My body... Huh? Wait, I don't feel any pain?" Lu Hao, now awake, immediately let out a panicked wail, only to discover his body was completely unharmed.
Lu Hao: ⊙ω⊙
Feeling everyone's eyes on him, Lu Hao wished he could just find a hole to crawl into. Just as he was about to say something to divert attention, the captain threw an arm around his shoulder.
"It's good that you're okay! How do you feel, Yu Tong?" After examining Lu Hao and confirming he was fine, Chen Yuxuan also asked his other teammates.
Mu Yao: "I'm fine! Brother Lu Hao, are you really okay? I remember you got knocked flying, didn't you?"
Lu Hao: "...Uh, don't worry, I'm all in one piece."
Qing Yutong: "Just a bit dizzy, nothing serious."
Hearing this, the tension on Chen Yuxuan's face finally eased slightly. But he soon recalled the scenes from just moments ago. However, as his gaze swept the surroundings, he found nothing, even beginning to doubt what had just happened.
"We might have all fallen into a collective illusion or something similar. Be careful of your surroundings." Having roughly grasped the situation, Qing Yutong also hurriedly reminded them.
Mu Yao and Lu Hao, who had just started to relax, immediately became alert, carefully observing their surroundings. Although the pain and injuries in the illusion weren't severe, they never wanted to experience that feeling of absolute despair again. Just as they were fully focused, a teasing, playful laugh came from above.
"Awake so soon? Pretty impressive!"
The four of them instantly felt a chill run down their spines. They slowly turned and looked up. A little girl wearing strange red clothing was sitting on the wall, toying with a cherry blossom-colored pistol. Seeing that they had noticed her, the little girl showed no fear. Instead, a sweet smile blossomed on her delicate face.
"Hee hee hee, staring at me like that... I'm gonna get shy!"
After saying this, the little girl leaped down, landing steadily in front of them. Although the wall wasn't high, such nimble skill was certainly not ordinary. Lu Hao immediately rushed forward to shield the others. Chen Yuxuan drew his pistol again. Qing Yutong promptly pulled Mu Yao behind her.
Upon closer inspection, they realized the person before them was not Clara. Reddish-brown hair, completely different attire and appearance. This little girl gave off a feeling not of fragility, but of the unknown and dangerous. The trio's expressions were extremely tense, as they were uncertain if they were a match for her.
"Ehhh~~ I didn't expect you, little brother, to be so brave?" A look of surprise appeared on her cute little face.
Sparkle's voice was sweet and milky, her tone tilting up at the end like cotton candy melting on the tongue. But Lu Hao had no mind for such things. The images from the dream replayed vividly in his head. He didn't even dare look back to confirm if another two-meter-tall thing was standing behind him.
Cold sweat also trickled down Chen Yuxuan's temple as he analyzed their predicament. He wasn't sure if everything that had just happened was this little girl's doing. If it was, and she could deceive all four of them without them noticing, she likely possessed Level One capabilities. In that case, resorting to force would be the worst option. However, since she didn't kill them earlier, there might still be a chance for dialogue.
"May I ask what your purpose is? If possible, we would prefer not to be your enemies."
"Me? I don't have any purpose at all?" Sparkle replied with great sincerity and began moving closer to them.
But none of them believed Sparkle's "no purpose" nonsense. Seeing the other party approaching, Chen Yuxuan called out again. "Please don't joke around! Please don't come any closer, or I'll have to shoot!"
This time, Sparkle didn't answer. She continued to approach, still smiling to herself. Seeing this, Chen Yuxuan knew he couldn't wait any longer. The spot where she landed blocked their exit. They had nowhere to retreat.
Bang!
In an instant, a gunshot rang out. A crimson bullet shot from the barrel, heading straight for Sparkle's forehead. But the next moment, everyone's eyes widened in shock. The bullet passed through Sparkle's forehead without any resistance. Scarlet blood splattered across the ground. Finally, the little girl fell stiffly, her eyes lifeless.
The bullet then flew out into the street. Boom!!!
Surprisingly, an explosion suddenly occurred on the street, the deafening sound reaching their ears. But compared to that, everyone was utterly bewildered, staring at the little girl's body.
"It seems... she really is dead." Qing Yutong gave an uncertain verdict.
Uh... Well, this made the atmosphere rather awkward for a moment. In Chen Yuxuan's imagination, someone with Level One strength would likely have a way to deal with bullets. The explosion was his Supernatural Ability. Due to the confined space, he had only used about sixty percent of its power.
But now... "...Captain, you didn't... kill an ordinary person by mistake, did you?" Watching the incredibly real and bloody scene on the ground, Lu Hao finally couldn't help but ask. Even Qing Yutong was taken aback. Mu Yao had long since covered her eyes.
"..."
Chen Yuxuan didn't know how to respond, but his intuition told him things couldn't be that simple. Sure enough, his intuition was confirmed the very next moment. The familiar voice sounded in his ear once more.
"Oh dear! To be so ruthless towards a super-duper, invincibly cute beauty? Boohoo~ That really makes me sad."
All four of them shuddered simultaneously. From the corner of his eye, Lu Hao noticed the little girl had somehow appeared behind the captain. The girl's pupils were shaped like plum blossoms, seemingly emitting a mysterious and enchanting glow. He immediately shouted in alarm.
"Captain, behind you!"
Chen Yuxuan felt the playful words in his ear like a demon's whisper, but it was too late to react. A cruel curve appeared at the corner of Sparkle's lips. In her hand was that cute little pistol, its barrel pointed directly at the back of Chen Yuxuan's head.
"Captain!!!" ×3
Lu Hao desperately lunged towards the captain, simultaneously activating his own Supernatural Ability, hoping to block the shot for him. Qing Yutong also stopped caring about the consequences, attempting to use her Supernatural Ability to save the captain. Mu Yao could only stare blankly at the scene, unable to do anything but pray silently in her heart that the two could save the captain.
Chen Yuxuan seemed to realize something, a bitter smile touching his lips.
"Well then, uncle, goodbye." After saying this, Sparkle slowly pulled the trigger.
Bang!!!
The gunshot echoed. Chen Yuxuan was directly tackled by Lu Hao... Time slowly passed. But the two of them seemed completely unharmed. Instead, they felt something like paper sprinkling down on them. As they gradually opened their eyes, what greeted them was a shower of colorful confetti. What shot out of the red gun barrel was actually a little flag.
The four of them: (+_+)?
Woke up too fast, what's going on now? They shifted their gaze to the little girl. They saw Sparkle's demeanor suddenly change, revealing a triumphant, scheming smile.
"Hahaha! You weren't scared just now, were you?" Immediately after, she lay on the ground without a shred of decorum, clutching her stomach with laughter. She looked exactly like a little brat who had just pulled off a successful prank, so happy she could almost fly!
The four of them: O_O