CHAPTER 419: CHAPTER 34 GUNFIGHT

Yousi Community, 13th Floor.

Even within the generally impoverished Yousi community, residents of different floors still experienced wealth disparity.

Usually, the residents at the bottom were the wealthiest, enjoying convenient public transportation via waterways.

The middle layers were slightly inferior, with residents between the 7th and 14th floors commonly living off handicraft and retail industries.

Newcomers, mostly Yousi refugees, resided at the top, where they could freely construct their dwellings; hence, the top was often rampant with gangs and crime.

From bottom to top, the average family assets of the residents gradually decreased; however, the 13th floor was an exception due to the number 13 holding magical significance in Yousi religion.

Therefore, the 13th floor turned into a middle-class enclave, bustling with dense populations and thriving commerce not found on other floors. However, today, a subtle unsettling change crept in.

It started with the militia sealing off various staircases, blocking them with haphazard shelters. Initially, some residents who wanted to reach other floors protested, but they soon fell silent.

Because the militia presented their weapons and an emergency order to open fire.

Soon, a corresponding broadcast resonated throughout the 13th floor, clearly audible even to the floors above and below:

"All residents! Immediately return to your homes, no going out, and wait for the militia’s inspection! If you go out without authorization, the militia has the right to open fire after a warning!"

This warning echoed repeatedly, and soon all the citizens rushed back into their homes, locking their doors tightly.

Looking at the deserted corridors, the militia sighed in relief and started searching homes one by one.

Only a few minutes later, a sudden change occurred.

Bursts of gunfire erupted from the north as a group of local gang members armed with guns burst from their rooms, shooting down several militiamen before they could react.

A fierce gunfight quickly broke out. Amid the intermittent burst-fire exchanges, the militiamen soon realized something strange about these gang members; despite bullets accurately hitting their limbs or abdomens, they continued to shoot without any signs of pain, as if the bullets passing through them had no effect.

"Flesh Power!" A passive ability that can still be triggered under the Anti-Demon Magnetic Field, it must be the incomplete Flesh Power!

The culprits must be from the Vampire Sequence, and they had already contaminated and controlled a batch of blood slaves!

Realizing this, Inspector Isaac quickly added orders, instructing the militia at various blockades to be particularly vigilant, not allowing anyone to leave the blockade points or the floor, since vampires can freely disguise their faces.

The battle in the north was still unresolved when gunfire erupted again from the southeast and southwest. Similarly, gang members with contaminated bodies charged out of their houses, fearlessly engaging in combat with the nearby stationed militia.

For a moment, the pressure on the militia’s side of the battlefield dramatically increased. After all, the opposing gang members were not afraid of bullet wounds and were willing to use their scarce Spiritual Energy to heal, rendering the militiamen with firearms temporarily unable to overcome the adversaries.

Inspector Isaac had to frequently reallocate troops, and several times he even picked up a rifle himself to join the battle until he was stretched too thin and could only send out a request for backup to the girls of The Azure Longsword.

Thus the girls quickly joined the fight. Eleanor charged forward with an Explosion-proof Shield, her major in Physical Power granting her significant suppressive force on the battlefield while Miel provided cover fire with her rifle from behind.

As for Nora and Thira, the two Magic System members could only watch helplessly, their expressions filled with frustration.

We also need to practice some combat skills that don’t rely on abilities... Watching the others’ valorous fight on the field, the two girls thought to themselves.

"Squad Leader... Huh, where’s the Squad Leader?" Thira suddenly realized something was amiss.

Lord Aske has disappeared? Nora also swiftly came to the same realization.

On the other side, at the southernmost stairwell, Detective Isaac emerged, his body drenched in blood.

"Has anyone come through these stairs?" he demanded, his eyes fierce.

"No, no one!" the militia guarding the shelter hastily responded, while another militia looked at the blood on his body and asked with concern, "Detective, are you... alright?"

"I’m fine," Detective Isaac replied impatiently, brushing the blood off his shoulder to indicate it was someone else’s blood, "but the battle is at a stalemate, which is increasingly unfavorable for us. I need to request more manpower support!"

More manpower? Did that mean calling people from other floors?

Hearing the unfavorable status of the battle, the two militiamen quickly stepped aside. Detective Isaac was about to pass through the shelter when suddenly something sharp pressed against his back.

It was a long spear. His mind sank slightly.

"Lord Aske," the voice of Aske sounded from behind, "Wasn’t it said that no one could leave this floor?"

"It’s only under ’the circumstance of no orders from me,’" Detective Isaac said calmly.

"How come I don’t recall you stating that condition?" Aske asked teasingly.

"Well, you remember it now," Detective Isaac answered.

"No," Aske said.

"What do you mean, Lord Aske?" Detective Isaac frowned and asked, then saw the two militiamen suddenly realize something, swiftly retreating and drawing their firearms to aim at him.

"Because Detective Isaac had said that no one, including himself, should leave this floor," Aske stated calmly, "until the battle is over."

Detective Isaac’s face was as still as water. Hearing the continuous gunfire in the distance, he sneered:

"So you guys are really annoying, bugs."

Before the sound of his voice faded, Aske’s long spear had already thrust forward rapidly. The other, despite the expense of spirituality, suddenly exploded into tainted blood and lunged at the two nearby militiamen.

"Run!" Aske immediately warned. However, instead of turning to flee, the two militiamen instinctively started shooting at the tainted blood.

Their bullets unsurprisingly passed right through the tainted blood, which then rapidly splattered onto the men, wrapping around them like the sticky mucus of a carnivorous plant, and eventually melted their entire bodies into the tainted blood.

The tainted blood reformed at the corner of the stairs into the shape of a demigod, who started to chuckle:

"Guess how much spirituality I’ve regained by devouring these two low-rank transcendents?"

"10%-15%," Aske casually said.

The demigod was momentarily taken aback; in reality, he had regained 12% spirituality, all thanks to his own Devouring Law and the fact that the two militiamen were approximately Lv.6 transcendents.

How did this guy guess that? Could it be that he was equipped with new spiritual energy detection components?

"Holy Temple Knight, you don’t need to hunt me down," the demigod said coldly, "unless you plan to destroy the entire Venice City. Otherwise, the mutant aftermath of my demise will turn this city to ruins."

Holy Temple Knight? Aske knew the other must have misunderstood something, but it didn’t matter anymore. He flicked his long spear, thrusting out again like a fierce storm.

Multiple Cloud Piercing!