Before Bai Fan could react, Ruan Mingxi had already pushed her aside.
From the lining of her dress, she pulled out something and turned to face the falling figures.
Clang, clang.
The figure in the red dress and the gray-white figures crossed paths.
The sound of metal clashing exploded.
Ruan Mingxi steadied herself, glanced down at her dress—already torn in several places, blood seeping from the edges.
Being suddenly ambushed while having to protect someone behind her, it was inevitable to pay some price.
As for the fanged blood slaves opposite her, one had an arm bent at an unnatural angle, like a broken branch.
Clearly, it had been broken by the baton in her hand during the clash.
But those blood slaves turned their heads back, and the bent arm was only snapped back into place.
Crack.
It was restored.
Ruan Mingxi frowned.
“Do you know who I am?” Her voice wasn’t loud, but carried an undeniable chill. “How dare you attack in broad daylight?”
The only response was the blood slaves’ hungry roars.
“Blood!”
“Flesh!”
Like a cornered starving beast.
This is bad.
Ruan Mingxi’s gaze quickly swept over the blood slaves’ eyes—murky scarlet, unfocused.
End-stage Blood Thirst Syndrome.
An opponent in this state was much more troublesome than the ones they had faced before.
If it were just her alone, a frontal breakthrough wasn’t impossible.
But…
Her peripheral vision glanced at the snow-haired girl behind her.
Without a second thought, Ruan Mingxi turned, grabbed Bai Fan’s hand, and retreated.
“Sister Mingxi, weren’t we supposed to go out?”
Bai Fan’s voice carried confusion.
Why not break through directly?
“If we fight head-on,” Ruan Mingxi said without looking back, “I can’t guarantee you won’t get hurt.”
“I…”
Bai Fan’s words caught in her throat.
Should she expose herself here?
Could she trust her?
She took a deep breath, her eyes firm.
“I’m strong. I can fight too. I’m not afraid of them.”
Ruan Mingxi looked a little surprised.
Then she smiled gently.
“It’s not about that.”
She said it as if it were a matter of course.
“I’m an adult, so it’s my responsibility to protect the underage little sister first.”
Ruan Mingxi laughed softly as she pulled her along.
“Besides, Senior Brother said that potential victims should be prioritized over enemies. Our execution squad doesn’t just charge at every enemy we see. Prioritizing self-preservation and calling allies is the better strategy.”
“Um…” Bai Fan hesitated, the figure draped in a black cloak appearing in her mind. “Can he make it in time?”
“Of course.”
Ruan Mingxi’s voice was certain. “Senior Brother is the most reliable senior brother in the world.”
Swoosh!
Several blood shadows chased from behind, their speed like arrows skimming the ground.
Ruan Mingxi didn’t look back, just winked at Bai Fan.
“Watch closely, I still have an iaijutsu slash left.”
She put the baton back at her waist and pulled something from a hidden pocket on the side of her dress.
Turned her head.
Bang, bang, bang.
Flashes of fire exploded in the narrow space.
Something silver flashed by.
Several blood slaves tumbled forward, their bodies arcing through the air and crashing heavily to the ground.
Bai Fan stared blankly at everything before her.
Ruan Mingxi blew the smoke from the muzzle, smiling like a cat that had stolen a fish.
“Didn’t expect that? I still have the Western Iaijutsu.”
She shook the gun in her hand.
“Magnum Eagle, .50 AE caliber, specially loaded with 12.7mm silver bullets.” Her gaze swept over the blood slaves writhing on the ground. “Specially prepared to reward you man-eating monsters.”
She smiled slightly.
“Did you really think I came unprepared?”
Several blood slaves were still groaning in pain on the ground, white smoke rising from their wounds like burning paper.
Ruan Mingxi walked over and put two more bullets each into the head and heart of the blood slave she had already downed.
The gunshots were muffled.
They stopped moving completely.
“Is it over?” Bai Fan’s expression still held some surprise. “They won’t…”
“Silver is the weakness of Blood Descendants.” Ruan Mingxi holstered the gun and turned to look at her. “This pistol of mine is loaded with silver bullets specifically for them. Blood Descendants whose brain and heart are destroyed by silver bullets have no regenerative ability.”
“Then why earlier…”
“Earlier, I was suddenly ambushed at close range and had to protect you, so I couldn’t easily draw my gun.” Ruan Mingxi smiled. “Besides, these blood slaves were already in the terminal stage. If you point a shiny gun muzzle at them, you might not hit them.”
She looked smug.
“When they thought I was at my wit’s end and trying to escape in panic, I suddenly caught them off guard, turned around, and pulled out my gun!”
She spread her hands like a magician after a trick.
‘Didn’t think I still had a trick up my sleeve?’
“And just like that, they all fell.”
Bai Fan was momentarily stunned, then smiled.
“Sister Mingxi is really amazing.”
“Of course.” Ruan Mingxi tilted her chin. “How else would I have gotten into the Ninth Section’s execution squad?”
Watching this girl boast so confidently, Bai Fan didn’t know why, but a certain tense place in her heart suddenly relaxed.
Her brow smoothed.
Just then.
A blood shadow silently emerged behind Bai Fan.
As if premeditated, waiting for this moment.
Sharp claws quietly thrust toward the center of Bai Fan’s back.
So quiet there wasn’t even a sound of air displacement.
Bai Fan saw Ruan Mingxi’s expression instantly freeze.
That face, smiling just a second ago, seemed gripped by something, all color draining.
She realized something.
Just as she was about to turn.
Ruan Mingxi had already pushed her away fiercely.
Pfft.
Blood splattered onto Bai Fan’s face, warm.
She stood frozen, watching the girl with wine-red hair slowly tilt and fall.
Like a petal falling from a branch in slow motion.
Bai Fan stiffly turned her head to look at the figure emerging from the darkness.
Master Mo.
He licked the blood off his fingertips, his face showing an almost devout aftertaste.
Like savoring an aged red wine.
“Delicious.” His voice was hoarse and satisfied. “Truly delicious. As expected… the blood of young girls is the best.”
His gaze landed on Bai Fan’s face.
“Of course… even better if she’s a beautiful young lady from a family.” He grinned, revealing bloodstained fangs. “I had a vague feeling this moment would come, so I waited. It was worth it.”
His gaze licked over Bai Fan like a snake’s tongue.
“And of course, I’ll taste your blood too.”
Bai Fan didn’t reply.
She walked to Ruan Mingxi’s fallen body, blocking Master Mo’s view.
Then she raised her head and stared coldly at him.
She said in her heart.
‘I’ll kill him.’
No angry roar, no heart-wrenching scream.
Just quiet, certain: kill him!
She picked up a fire crowbar and approached Master Mo expressionlessly.
In that instant, all her Perception stretched out without reservation, covering the entire space like a spiderweb.
She could feel Master Mo’s breathing, his heartbeat, the tension in his muscle fibers ready to spring.
Master Mo sneered. “Little lamb, instead of being scared and running away, you’re approaching me?”
She didn’t answer.
Step by step, unhurried.
Her footsteps were light.
Master Mo’s smile disappeared.
He had expected this little girl to cry in fear, to run, so he could savor the scent of her terror slowly, and finally drain every drop of her blood.
Why wasn’t she running?
Why did she dare to approach him?
Bai Fan raised the fire crowbar and smashed it onto his skull.
Master Mo’s expression changed slightly; it wasn’t that he didn’t want to dodge.
But he simply didn’t react in time.
The speed was too fast.
He wanted to retreat.
But the tip of the crowbar had already broken through his bone and skin.
Bai Fan expressionlessly yanked hard.
Red and white matter splattered onto the crowbar.
“Ugh—!”
Master Mo stumbled back.
Bai Fan pursued, raised the crowbar, and struck his head.
Bang.
Another kick.
Bang.
Again.
At this moment, Bai Fan was still angry.
But the fire of rage in her heart had cooled, solidifying into a piece of iron.
Ice-cold iron.
She didn’t want anything except to keep smashing.
Bang, bang, bang.
Master Mo, who once was the untouchable overlord of Lincheng, was beaten to the ground by her.
His expensive brown leather jacket was torn, covered in dust and dirt, as pitiful as a stray dog crawling out of a gutter.
The crowbar in Bai Fan’s hand was already covered in mangled flesh.
The Master Mo beneath her was beaten beyond recognition; his face could no longer be discerned, like a clay sculpture run over by a wheel.
Finally, she aimed for Master Mo’s throat.
Raised the crowbar again.
Smashed down fiercely.
About to blow out his throat.
Just a few centimeters from his throat, a bony hand caught it.
The force was like a vice grip.
Master Mo lifted his bloodied face, wounds still oozing blood, features twisted beyond recognition, making him even more ferocious.
He squeezed her crowbar tightly, his voice squeezed out through gritted teeth:
“Have you… fucking… had enough?”
Bai Fan didn’t answer.
She released the crowbar with one hand.
Her five slender fingers curled into a fist.
She punched his gory face.