Need Help

"I do have a backup plan." Chen Guan turned to him. In the absolute darkness, his eyes met Long Ao's. "But I need your help."

"Tell me!" Long Ao's spirits lifted. Chen Guan's calmness made him instinctively choose to trust him. Although it was pitch black all around, he felt that Chen Guan must be glowing at this moment.

As long as he could help, that was enough. Long Ao's thoughts were simple and unpretentious.

Chen Guan raised his hand and pointed in a direction toward the outskirts of the city, far from the center.

"My method can only target the core of the ritual, which is the Queen Casino. But the scope of this ritual covers the entire city. The civilians in those fringe areas are the first batch of sacrifices, and I cannot be in two places at once."

"The Great Wall's main forces will be blocked in the city center; they won't be able to get through. I need someone to go to those residential areas that will be affected first. Do everything in your power to evacuate and protect them."

"Buy me some time."

Every word of this speech struck heavily upon Long Ao's heart.

He looked at Chen Guan. At this moment, the image of his classmate grew infinitely taller in his mind. He even forgot to wonder how Chen Guan, a mere student, planned to resolve such a disaster.

Perhaps he had already grown accustomed to Chen Guan's omnipotence.

Prioritizing the greater good, keeping the big picture in mind.

While everyone else was staring at the center of the storm, he still remembered the most inconspicuous victims.

Meanwhile, his own mind had just been filled with charging into the casino to fight the Blood Butcher to the death, completely forgetting the civilians who needed protection the most.

A wave of guilt welled up in his heart.

He felt deeply ashamed that he fell short of this selfless devotion to the world.

"I understand." Long Ao nodded heavily. He straightened his back, and the remaining dragon aura on his body surfaced once more, this time carrying an indomitable resolve. "Leave it to me! You... be careful."

After saying that, he hesitated no longer. Dragging his mostly recovered body, he identified the direction, turned around, and dashed into the pitch-black tunnel leading to the surface. His heavy footsteps quickly faded into the distance.

One couldn't help but envy Long Ao's physique. His recovery speed was truly top-tier; even when his powers were sealed, he was just as strong.

[Tears in my eyes. Brother Guan is for real, he holds every single one of us in his heart.]

[Brother Ao was also assigned perfectly, going to protect the civilians. This is what a protagonist group should look like, they are all such good boys.]

[Long also put Chen Guan in danger for the big picture. Bold speculation: Chen Guan actually knew this all along, but he came voluntarily. Just like now, he came to protect more people.]

[Stop talking, person above. You're making me feel awful this late at night.]

Chen Guan watched Long Ao's disappearing back and glanced at the bullet screen. The heaviness on his face vanished in an instant.

The viewers were overthinking it, and Long Ao was probably overthinking it too.

He just needed an excuse to send away this hot-blooded idiot whose head was full of justice. He didn't want him to know what was going to happen next. Conveniently, the suburbs were far enough away that even if Long Ao ran himself to death, he wouldn't be able to make it back in time.

"Baal."

He called out in his mind.

A lazy voice echoed directly in his mental world. "Yo, still alive. So, how do you like this grand spectacle covering the whole city?"

"Is this just a low-level demon?" Chen Guan cut straight to the chase. He didn't believe such a massive scale was the work of an ordinary little demon.

Even among demons, there were disparities.

"Of course... not." Baal's tone was filled with the amusement of someone watching a fire burn. "That cult leader guy hit the jackpot. He disturbed the obsession of a... well, an old thing that should have been dead and gone long ago."

"The Blood Butcher's ritual accidentally became the coordinates for this obsession's descent. So, this is no longer a simple summoning ritual."

Baal's voice carried a hint of playfulness. "This is a feast competing for the remnants of a divine spark. That cult leader wants to devour that obsession to complete his own ascension. Oh, he has no idea what kind of existence he has awakened."

Chen Guan's heartbeat skipped for a second.

The obsession of an ancient demon god?

Remnants of a divine spark?

Instead of feeling any fear, Chen Guan's eyes erupted with an unprecedented light.

He really didn't care much for ordinary demons.

But the obsession of an ancient demon god was practically a super supplement tailor-made for his slumbering true body.

Many demon gods had once existed in this world. Some survived, like Baal, and naturally, others had died.

A centipede dies but never falls down. Even a dead demon god would always leave something behind, just like the lingering obsession currently summoned by the Blood Butcher.

This feast, I, Chen Guan, will absolutely devour!

Baal chuckled and began to egg him on. "The chef has already prepared the dishes, so there must be a decent diner, right? Your reverberation can perfectly record this thrilling moment."

"I will go."

Chen Guan delayed no further. Carrying the coffin on his back, he left the subway station through another tunnel.

His figure moved swiftly through the city, perfectly evading all patrolling officials and the scanning drones in the sky.

Ten minutes later, he arrived at an abandoned office building opposite the Queen Casino, perfectly situated no more than a hundred meters away.

Chen Guan climbed up to the rooftop and lifted the lid of the water tank. He carefully unloaded the black coffin from his back and gently placed it at the bottom of the tank.

Casting an illusion over it, the water tank blended seamlessly with the surrounding environment to any mental perception.

Having done all this, Chen Guan walked to the edge of the rooftop.

Below, the Queen Casino was brightly lit, its luxurious neon lights tracing its sinful silhouette.

Countless luxury cars were parked at the entrance. The impeccably dressed gamblers were completely oblivious to the apocalypse unfolding at this very moment, still living in a drunken dream inside.

But in Chen Guan's eyes, that place was the terminus of a bloody torrent, a massive vortex frantically devouring the entire city.

A trace of coldness surfaced on his face.

He leaped forward, his body tracing a silent trajectory through the air. Like a black feather, he landed lightly into the shadows of the casino's back alley.

The diner had officially taken his seat.

Chen Guan's figure weaved through the intricate staff corridors inside the casino without making a single sound. His powerful mental strength allowed him to preemptively evade all the guards.

His goal was clear: the top floor, the core of the ritual.

Just as he stepped onto the final flight of stairs leading to the top floor, a familiar female voice echoed in his mind without any warning.

"You are even bolder than I imagined."

"Need any help, reserve member?"