The helicopter hovered at the entrance of the mist. Chad leaped down first, taking the lead. Members of the other team and Dolores followed closely behind as they parted ways at the gate of Norser. Naturally, Dolores stayed close to Chad.
Chad took out his compass, glancing at the dense red dots on it, feeling a chill run down his spine. Each red dot represented an eerie being. The entire city was now enveloped in eerie mist, and it was up to Chad and a handful of others to resolve the situation. The atmosphere was dire.
At the World Trade Tower in Norser, Chad's body ignited in flames as he unleashed a blast of fire, slamming two third-stage eerie beings hard onto the ground.
The sound of applause came from beside him. Dolores watched Chad's performance with a smile, her eyes sparkling with admiration every time he unleashed Hellfire and defeated the eerie beings. It felt like a kind of appreciative admiration.
Chad picked up the two third-stage spirit crystals from the ground and silently pocketed them. He glanced at Dolores from the corner of his eye. Dolores had been observing his flames from the beginning, seeming simple-minded like an innocent girl captivated by his power. But Chad knew she was not as simple as she appeared; as a mature and capable woman, Dolores was no ordinary high school student.
"Let's go to the next location," Chad said calmly, turning his head.
"Don't you want to take a break inside? There are many elites from Norser waiting for the hero's return. Maybe some youthful, beautiful, fair-skinned office workers will take a liking to you," Dolores joked as she walked over.
Chad ignored her words. To him, such remarks felt more like sarcasm. Showing off in front of irrelevant people and accepting gratitude from ordinary folks might boost his vanity, but in practical terms, it was completely useless.
"Don't waste time. Let's hurry to the next location," Chad urged, taking the lead forward.
Dolores stood in place, narrowing her pretty eyes as she stared at Chad's back for a moment. Then a faint smile appeared on her face, her red lips curling up as she followed him.
A huge dog-like eerie being bared its fangs, warning the two uninvited guests fiercely. Chad stepped forward, preparing to use Hellfire to quickly finish it off. This was a fourth-stage eerie being, not as easy to deal with as a third-stage one.
Unexpectedly, before Chad could make a move, a sleek figure suddenly rushed out from behind him. Dolores tightened her grip on her long whip and was the first to attack.
Crack!
The dark red whip snapped in the air, sending sparks flying. It resembled a beautiful yet dangerous snake.
The whip struck the fourth-stage eerie being heavily, and even through its thick fur, the pain pierced deep into its bones. With a roar, it crouched down on all fours, then suddenly leaped up, jumping 30 feet into the air! From above, its giant claws swiped fiercely at Dolores.
Dolores quickly swung her red whip again, striking the fourth-stage eerie being's belly, but the creature endured the pain and stretched out its giant claws, aiming to squash the annoying woman beneath it into a pulp.
A loud noise erupted as the giant dog-like creature created a cloud of dust where Dolores stood, obscuring Chad's vision. When the smoke cleared, he saw Dolores sitting on the ground, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, clutching her chest. Beside her stood the boastful, hideous, and fierce eerie being.
"Chad!" Dolores called, her face distressed. She held her chest with one hand and looked at him with a weak expression, resembling a delicate woman waiting for her mighty hero to make a grand entrance. However, when she inadvertently lowered her head, a hint of cunning flashed through her eyes.
Chad realized she might be playing the victim just to see him act. Did she really think he couldn't see through her performance? He turned and ran.
"Wait for me! I'll get some reinforcements!" he shouted as he disappeared without a trace.
Dolores was stunned, sitting there dumbfounded. Chad actually… ran away? He left her, a beautiful and delicate woman, behind? "I was waiting for you to be my hero!"
Behind her, the fourth-stage eerie being let out another low growl, sharpening its claws and pouncing again.
Dolores let out a light sigh, remaining seated and unmoving. The creature that was about to pounce on her was suddenly dismembered, its body stripped piece by piece like shattered porcelain, falling to the ground in a gruesome display.
At that moment, from a corner of the street, Chad's figure slowly reappeared. He looked at Dolores with a meaningful smile and said happily, "Dolores, this doesn't seem like the behavior of a three-star Awakened! With this strength, do you still need me to save you?"
Dolores regained her calm demeanor. She sat up from the ground and tidied herself. Without directly answering Chad's question, she said, "Let's deal with the corpse."
Chad raised his eyebrows at her words. Okay, this woman had regained her usual mature and capable attitude. He picked up the fourth-stage spirit crystal that had fallen to the ground, and Dolores didn't fight for it.
Afterward, Dolores suggested they split up and act separately. Without giving Chad time to react, she left alone. Chad felt that Dolores was mysterious and had a deep background, but he didn't think much else. Following the guidance of his compass, he headed in the opposite direction of Dolores.
A third-stage eerie being suddenly flew backward like a kite, a charred blood hole opening in its chest. Chad slowly withdrew the Hellfire from his arm and nodded slightly to the group of trembling ordinary people behind him. He picked up the dropped third-stage spirit crystal and continued on his way.
After separating from Dolores, he saved several more waves of unarmed ordinary people and continued to clear the area, following the route toward the center of the mist.
Suddenly, as he ran, he noticed an old man sleeping beside the road, clearly drunk. The old man's ragged clothes resembled those of a homeless person. Chad stopped, wanting to remind the old man to sleep somewhere else, preferably in hiding, as Norser was now covered in eerie mist. Sleeping on the street could easily lead to an unexplained death.
But before Chad could speak, a third-stage eerie being descended from the sky, appearing before them. It can fly!
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]