Realm Walker

Chapter 29: First Battle

Why had Ou Xiangrong appeared at Songhai University? And with Xu Yingying, no less?

How dare he show up at Songhai University while he was being hunted by the official organizations? Was it a case of supreme skill breeding supreme confidence, or was there something wrong with his brain?

Zhang Yuanqing tensed up and stopped in his tracks. He turned to the classmates beside him and said, ”You guys go ahead first. I need to make a phone call.”

First things first—he had to call for backup. He walked to the roadside, pulled out his phone, and dialed Li Dongze’s number.

”Sorry, the number you have dialed is currently switched off,” came the automated message informing him that his superior’s phone was off.

He tried calling Guan Ya’s phone next, but it was also switched off.

Various possibilities flashed through Zhang Yuanqing’s mind. Were they in a meeting? Or deployed for an operation? Perhaps they were already lurking somewhere near Songhai University?

If it were the latter, then it had nothing to do with him. But if they were unreachable because they were in a meeting, then he had to do something. As a wanted fugitive, Ou Xiangrong wouldn’t possibly stay at Songhai University for long. Missing this opportunity would be a terrible waste.

With that thought, he opened the list of contacts on his phone and dialed Wang Tai’s number.

Thanks to his social habits, he had saved Wang Tai’s phone number in his contacts, even though that guy didn’t like talking or communicating. Every time he tried to chat with him, Wang Tai always had that ”get lost, don’t bother me” micro expression written all over his face.

The call connected, and Wang Tai’s lifeless voice came through the speaker.

—What is it?”

”I spotted Ou Xiangrong, the killer who murdered Zhao Yingjun. You know about this case, right?”

Wang Tai’s tone was as calm as ever.

—I know about it, but why are you contacting me? You should contact the Squad Leader.

Shouldn’t he be saying something like ”Holy shit, that’s awesome” or something? This fellow is way too calm over something like this! Zhang Yuanqing grumbled internally.

”I can’t reach the Squad Leader or the old perverted chick,” he told Wang Tai instead.

—Who’s the old perverted chick?

”That’s not the point!” Zhang Yuanqing snapped.

He briefly explained the situation on his end, then asked, ”Can you contact Spirit Realm Walkers from other squads?”

—I can.

He heard the sound of Wang Tai typing rapidly on his keyboard.

—I pulled up Zhao Yingjun’s case files. Zhao Yingjun was keeping many female college students as mistresses, and one of them was from your school, named Xu Yingying. Based on your report that night, I suspect he’s trying to find a lead through the women around Zhao Yingjun.

Zhang Yuanqing finally understood why public security officers had come knocking the day before. So Xu Yingying’s sugar daddy was Zhao Yingjun.

Wang Tai had more information for him.

—Ou Xiangrong, Level 3 Enchanting Demon, also possesses an evil power. He was severely wounded in yesterday’s siege, which greatly reduces the danger he poses, but he’s still not someone you can contend with.

—I’ve analyzed your situation. The correct approach is to keep him under surveillance while waiting for official support. You can use your Night Wandering skill for appropriate harassment, but don’t engage in prolonged combat, or you’ll die a miserable death.

Despite not being good at socializing, he was pretty reliable when it came to getting things done. Zhang Yuanqing pretended to admire the scenery while using the crowd to tail Ou Xiangrong and Xu Yingying from a distance.

”I can’t contact the Squad Leader and Sis Guan Ya. Are they deployed somewhere near Songhai?” Zhang Yuanqing asked hopefully.

—No. Xu Yingying is just an ordinary female college student with no value. This Ou Xiangrong... He is already in a somewhat deranged mental state. That female classmate of yours is definitely going to die.

Given Ou Xiangrong’s cruelty, he definitely wouldn’t leave anyone alive.

Just then, Zhang Yuanqing saw Ou Xiangrong ”escorting” Xu Yingying into the underground parking garage of the main campus building.

The two figures descended along the steep ramp and disappeared from view.

”They’ve entered the parking garage. I’ll talk to you later. Contact the other squad members as soon as possible.”

Without waiting for a response, Zhang Yuanqing hung up the phone.

The parking garage was secluded, and unlike before, he couldn’t use passersby as cover. Following them inside would definitely get him spotted.

Zhang Yuanqing pondered for a few seconds, then took off his backpack and tossed it into the shrubs by the roadside. Next, he stirred the Power of the Dark Moon within his body. Illusory black mist exploded outward with a bang, forcibly erasing his form from sight.

After activating Night Wandering, he sprinted into the underground parking garage.

Even if he couldn’t beat OU Xiangrong, with the Red Dancing Shoes and his Night Wandering skill, escaping wouldn’t be a problem.

This was worth the limited risk he had to take on.

Although this Xu Yingying was materialistic and scheming, she was still a living person. Zhang Yuanqing wouldn’t stand by and watch someone die if saving her was within his capabilities. Moreover, a mentally unstable guy like Ou Xiangrong needed to be dealt with sooner rather than later for the benefit of everyone else.

He didn’t need to deliberately hide his footsteps since the Night Wandering state masked all sounds he made, and even concealed his body heat.

As soon as he rushed into the underground parking garage, he heard Xu Yingying’s trembling voice, thick with tears.

”I, I don’t know where the things you’re looking for are,” she mumbled. ”I only followed Zhao Yingjun for his money. He gave me twenty thousand a month for me to be his girlfriend...”

Twenty... Twenty thousand? Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself, amazed. Before he had gotten this official job, his previous monthly salary had only been twenty thousand. This money of hers was way too easy to earn.

He followed the sound and spotted them at the tail end of a black sedan, against the wall. Xu Yingying stood pressed against the wall in terror while Ou Xiangrong held a knife, standing to one side.

”Don’t tell me you don’t know. Don’t tell me you don’t know,” Ou Xiangrong repeated, his eyes gleaming viciously as he growled with neurotic intensity.

”I’m giving you one last chance. Did Zhao Yingjun ever reveal any information about the Holy Grail and the Registry to you?”

Xu Yingying’s eyes were red rimmed, with tears the size of beans rolling down her cheeks.

”I, I really don’t know what you’re talking about!”

Ou Xiangrong fell silent for a few seconds. Then a weary sigh echoed through the underground parking garage. His pupils lit up with crimson light, and his expression beneath the mask became twisted and crazed, with a hint of neurosis.

”I gave you a chance but you’re useless. I gave you a chance but you’re useless,” he muttered repeatedly.

He wrapped a callused hand around Xu Yingying’s pale neck, lifting her up with one thick arm. Her face instantly flushed red, then went from red to purple. Her legs kicked wildly as her eyes rolled back in their sockets.

A pleased, savage grin spread across Ou Xiangrong’s face, and he raised his blade and pressed the tip of it against her chest.

Just as he was about to drive the blade into this woman’s heart, the hairs on the back of his hand stood on end as his Enchanting Demon’s intuition suddenly alerted him to imminent danger.

There was no one nearby, no movement or anomalies whatsoever, but he felt a chill deep within his heart nonetheless. Some unpredictable danger was approaching him, enveloping him.

A Spirit Realm Walker! he realized immediately. He instinctively knew that he was being attacked by a Spirit Realm Walker. Still gripping Xu Yingying’s neck, he hurled her violently backward.

Xu Yingying crashed heavily to the ground, rolling several meters before losing consciousness.

Seeing that the attacker did not go to the woman’s rescue, Ou Xiangrong retreated quickly, taking swift steps backward while swinging his yanagiba at the space in front of him.

The sharp blade traced a brilliant silver arc through the air, and a sharp metallic clang rang out from the empty air ahead, while dazzling sparks erupted at the point of contact.

He had struck his opponent’s weapon.

Using that brief sensation of contact between their weapons, Ou Xiangrong judged his enemy’s position and immediately roused the muscles in his legs. Like a compressed spring, he bent his knees and launched himself forward in a flying charge.

With a dull thud, his knees made a solid impact with something unseen, and he heard a muffled groan from his attacker.

Immediately, a person ”flew” out of thin air. It was a young, decent-looking college student with a sunny disposition wearing sweatpants and a baseball jacket, holding a bronze awl about the length of half an arm in his hand.

A Nocturnal Specter! thought Ou Xiangrong.

Instantly, he understood what was going on. He also understood why he had been attacked so quickly the night before. This was the person behind that deadly siege that had nearly killed him.

His mental state, already unstable, was further destabilized by an intense killing intent and desire for revenge against the Nocturnal Specter before him. Viciousness and hatred flashed in his eyes.

Ou Xiangrong gripped his yanagiba and leaped into the air. His powerful jumping ability carried him across a distance of more than ten meters as he pounced viciously on the college student who was still rolling across the floor.

His aura was as fierce as a humanoid tyrannosaurus.

Seeing this scene, Zhang Yuanqing nearly cried out, ”I’m sorry for disturbing you, spare my life, great hero!”

He didn’t try to get up, instead harnessing momentum to continue his roll while stirring up the Power of the Dark Moon, entering the Night Wandering state once again.

He suddenly vanished from Ou Xiangrong’s view, and the Enchanting Demon lost track of his rolling target.

After dodging the pounce, the now-invisible Zhang Yuanqing hunched over and sprinted to a white car on the left, leaning against one of its tires and gasping heavily.

That knee strike earlier on had nearly caused his heart to stop.

That hurt like hell, he thought to himself.

The pain lancing through his chest had turned his face pale, and even breathing felt painful. Fortunately, Nocturnal Specters had powerful vitality and considerable self-healing abilities. He would recover from this level of injury rather quickly.

Unfortunately, that brief exchange had clearly demonstrated to Zhang Yuanqing the vast gap in their strength.

This Enchanting Demon had possessed keen intuition and immense physical strength, coupled with a wealth of combat experience. His seemed to be a class that thrived in close combat.

Just then, a thud echoed through the parking garage. Ou Xiangrong had leaped onto the roof of a black sedan several meters away.

The Enchanting Demon’s cruel eyes swept across the underground parking garage, and he said in an icy tone, ”No Nocturnal Specters from the Taiyi Sect should be in Songhai. Are you a Nocturnal Specter from the Five Elements Alliance?”

He harrumphed, then continued, ”So, a mere Level 1 Nocturnal Specter dares to ambush me. Let me think. A Level 1 Night Wandering skill shouldn’t last more than twenty seconds. How long can you hide?”

He was certain his opponent was a Level 1 Nocturnal Specter. If he was Level 2, Ou Xiangrong wouldn’t have gained the advantage in their recent exchange.

And if his opponent was Level 3, he would be the one running instead.

Severely wounded and weakened as he was, there was no way he could defeat a Nocturnal Specter of the same level as him. Nocturnal Specters and Enchanting Demons were both top-tier classes.

Twenty seconds? You think too highly of me. I can manage ten seconds at most, thought Zhang Yuanqing as he crouched by the tire, holding his breath.

This guy is ridiculously strong, and he hasn’t even used his Enchanting Demon skills yet. Let me recall what abilities Enchanting Demons possess...

He tried to remember what the official forums had said about Enchanting Demons.

It was an Evil class, and at the Transcendent tier, these Walkers possessed formidable combat abilities. After killing someone, they would enter a berserk state, which greatly enhanced their fighting prowess.

Additionally, once combat began, Enchanting Demons could mark their opponents through special methods. Even if their prey escaped, they would pursue them relentlessly.

Finally, there was the core ability of the Transcendent tier: Enchantment.

Enchantment was a mental control skill that could be activated. That, combined with an Enchanting Demon’s superior close combat abilities, made them practically unbeatable.

Just then, nine seconds were over. His power had run out, and his form materialized.

The next moment, a howl cut through the air right by his ear. Zhang Yuanqing’s heart lurched, knowing Ou Xiangrong had made his move. He didn’t even dare look, immediately throwing himself forward in a roll and going invisible again.

Crash!

Ou Xiangrong’s kick left a deep dent in the body of the white sedan, setting off a piercing alarm.

He scanned his surroundings with cold eyes, maintaining his guard while using words to provoke his opponent.

”From your appearance, I can tell you’re a student at Songhai University, am I right? Do you know that for Spirit Realm Walkers, exposing your identity means bringing disaster to your family? Now that I know you’re a student, I can take my time to slowly track you down, then kill you and exterminate your entire family.”

Ou Xiangrong gripped his yanagiba tightly, silently counting down in his heart, waiting for that rookie to materialize or attack.

He’s a madman, though Zhang Yuanqing, and his heart sank.

Although he knew this was merely a tactic to provoke him, he had to admit he was starting to get angry. Moreover, he was starting to reconsider this entire battle.

Zhang Yuanqing hid behind the tail of another car, his brain spinning at high speed as he considered strategies.

This guy’s intuition is terrifying. If I can’t land a killing blow, I shouldn’t risk sneak attacks. But I can’t keep hiding forever. Given my stamina, I can use Night Wandering two more times at most, after which I’ll have to flee.

There’s no way other official personnel can arrive in such a short time. But if I let this guy escape, Grandma and the others will be in danger.

The Enchanting Demon’s three skills: Berserk, Mark, and Enchantment. The first one doesn’t matter if he doesn’t kill anyone. For the second skill, I’m probably already Marked, but Night Wandering can block his perception.

What I really need to fear is his close combat abilities and the Enchantment skill. Sigh, if only it were nighttime right now.

As these thoughts flickered through his mind, Zhang Yuanqing had already formulated a plan.

He would let the Red Dancing Shoes serve as the main damage dealer while the useless master provided support from the sidelines, looking for opportunities to sneak attack.

This would be a good chance to test this Rule-type item’s combat capabilities.

With a bang, Ou Xiangrong leaped onto the roof of another car, surveying the underground parking garage from his elevated position.

He was silently counting down, waiting for his enemy to exit his Night Wandering state, when he suddenly heard eerie footsteps coming from behind him.

The sudden footsteps echoed loudly through the empty garage, making even the experienced Ou Xiangrong’s heart skip a beat. He spun around reflexively, raising his knife in a defensive stance.

Then, he saw the source of those eerie footsteps.

It was a pair of brand new Western-style red dancing shoes, about three meters away from him, stepping about in the empty, quiet space as if some invisible person was wearing them and marching in place.

The sight was so sinister and terrifying it could make ordinary people go weak in the knees and scream out loud.

Is it a paranormal item? he wondered.

The moment Ou Xiangrong saw the Red Dancing Shoes, a message appeared in his field of vision.

【Will you dance with me? If yes, please step in place.】