Chapter 5: Chaotic Stalemate
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In the night sky,
a robust and elongated beast leaped with all its might,
stretching its limbs just as it soared past the moon,
a breathtaking spectacle that was hard to forget.
Li Xiaocong clung tightly to a tuft of fur on the silver fox’s neck, hunkered down against her warm nape, feeling the cold winds whoosh by like a personal weather system,
at that moment, it was as if he was dreaming.
He never imagined that his one true love would suddenly transform into such a gigantic monster beast.
Being a product of the new society and raised under the red flag, Li Xiaocong thought it was shocking enough to fall for an NPC,
but who would’ve thought that Si Yan was one of the hottest beast-eared girls in the two-dimensional culture?
What a delightful surprise!
His affection for Si Yan only deepened further.
What was supposed to be a desperate escape felt to Li Xiaocong like an impulsive midnight dash with his partner.
Watching the trees whiz by was like being on a roller coaster, all bumps and thrills.
Sadly, the relentless pursuit by the Law Enforcement Hall Disciples ruined their romantic vibe.
These guys were no slouches when it came to stamina;
despite the silver fox’s speed, he could still see the pursuers lingering behind.
The players, on the other hand, were straining under the pressure.
One little streamer aimed to ride the coattails of this excitement, hoping to grab a spotlight like the recently trending “Firefly” by livestreaming the chase of the beast by the Law Enforcement Hall,
but to his dismay, the beast had no intention of staying for a brawl; it bolted instead.
Halfway through, the players were gasping for breath, their stamina depleted as they watched the Law Enforcement Hall Disciples grow more distant,
none could keep up any longer.
Just when they thought they’d escape smoothly, Li Xiaocong suddenly felt a chill on his neck.
Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a long sword poised on his shoulder,
and instinctively, he froze.
“Your beloved is in my hands,
if you don’t want him to d*e, stop right now!”
The voice was smooth,
but the silver fox quivered upon hearing it, suddenly skidding to a halt and crashing into a couple of boulders because of the imbalance.
With a cry, the silver fox got up, revealing her skin marred by cuts and tears, red spots dappled her once-sparkling silver fur.
Li Xiaocong’s heart tightened, but a stranger had yanked him off the silver fox’s back,
the sword still pressed against his neck, keeping him paralyzed.
He considered just letting himself d*e—after all, he could respawn,
then Si Yan wouldn’t be compelled by them.
But Si Yan had no idea about the players’ attributes;
what if she saw him dead and made a hasty, silly choice out of grief? That would be irreversible.
“Come back with me to the Heavenly Sword Sect, and your lover can escape d*ath,” the stranger said at a leisurely pace.
The silver fox didn’t think twice and nodded furiously.
Li Xiaocong shouted, “Si Yan, I have a d*ath escape technique, don’t worry! Just run!”
The silver fox froze,
the cold wind ruffled her fur,
and under the moonlight, something flickered in her elongated eyes.
Unfortunately, the number one expert of the Law Enforcement Hall, An Luo, didn’t give him the chance to off himself.
With a swift chop, he knocked Li Xiaocong unconscious and stomped him down.
“I have a hundred ways to make him suffer unendingly without dying. Do you believe me?”
The silver fox was flat on the ground,
her spirit of resistance thoroughly crushed.
At that moment, other disciples of the Law Enforcement Hall finally arrived and surrounded the silver fox.
An Luo wore a mask, and none of the disciples knew his true identity.
However, judging by his clothing and sword,
he was most certainly the shadow specially assigned by Elder Wang for this mission.
Shadows were spies planted by the Law Enforcement Hall across the continent,
disguised in various identities, some strong, others as weak as regular folks.
But this shadow was evidently not a pushover;
he might be even tougher than all the Law Enforcement Hall disciples present.
As everyone thought victory was close,
a soft voice suddenly emerged from the nearby trees,
“Si Yan, Si Yan, I never imagined you would be ensnared by love; if you truly go with them,
who would you complain to for a life lost in vain?”
“Who are you?! Come out!”
Everyone exclaimed, alertness kicking in.
In no time, two enchanting ladies in gauzy garments swirled out from the foliage,
the silver fox gasped; she recognized them immediately as her companions from Yihong Courtyard. They showed up just in time to prevent her from going back to the Heavenly Sword Sect.
The secret of the “Ji Shen” organization must not leak under any circumstances.
An Luo, icy as ever, growled, “They must be allies of the beast! Get them!”
But before the Law Enforcement Hall disciples could act,
the nearly identical twin sisters shot toward the air like arrows, one darting left and the other right.
In the dim light of the night, no one could grasp what was happening,
but when people finally reacted, they looked around to find that only three Law Enforcement Hall disciples remained standing.
The rest trembled in fear, some even plopping down onto the ground.
Nobody expected these sudden foes to be this formidable.
An Luo remained unfazed;
he knew that the enemy’s target was still the silver fox,
clearing the area was just to make them back off.
“You know what to do, right?”
An Luo held the still unconscious Li Xiaocong up, his sword pressed against his throat, speaking slowly.
The silver fox growled, suddenly leaping up from the ground,
the next moment, she appeared before the two twin sisters,
her claws sweeping through the air with the force of a freight train.
“Crack, crack…”
A line of trees thick as a bowl snapped off, their crowns crash-landed to stir a cloud of dust.
“The higher-ups have decreed that if you can find your way back, your past transgressions can be forgiven.”
“We’re still good sisters; there’s no need for swords drawn.”
The twins, Qing Yi and Zi Yi, stood on the towering tree tips, proclaiming loudly.
The silver fox couldn’t speak,
but her actions had already declared her choice.
Once a beast took shape, its strength and agility skyrocketed,
and this silver fox was no ordinary contender.
Yet, Qing Yi and Zi Yi were remarkably agile, evading the full-force attacks of the beast effortlessly, like mosquitoes in a dream that just wouldn’t stay still no matter how much you swatted.
As the trio’s struggle extended into the distance, An Luo suddenly realized the twins’ plan.
“Oh no! They’re trying to lure the beast away.”
If the monster creature left its hostage behind, what would happen to Li Xiaocong?
No one could guarantee the beast’s intelligence would remain intact like a human’s.
“Follow them!”
Just as An Luo prepared to lead everyone in pursuit,
a sword suddenly lunged from the side, the angle treacherously precise, aiming directly at his throat.
An Luo instinctively jerked backward to dodge the blade,
and in the process, had to let go of Li Xiaocong,
but by the time he looked back, he found that Li Xiaocong had completely vanished.
