Am I really going to die here today?

On the giant billboard, the Twin-Tail Girl still gripped the handle of her throwing knife, hanging in midair, her eyes fixed on the activity below.

The halo, which had been growing redder, now rushed toward the Black-Robed Man like a freight truck on a national highway.

‘What? Couldn’t the buildings and cars on the street block the halo?’

In the Twin-Tail Girl’s view, the zombies that had gathered below and the Black-Robed Man sitting on the giant sword were like speed bumps on the road, directly crushed by the red halo.

Wherever the halo passed, terrifying energy instantly swept everything.

The zombies didn’t even have time to scream before being crushed to dust by the energy torrent.

Their broken limbs and splattered flesh quickly evaporated in the scorching red energy, turning into wisps of black smoke that dissipated in the air.

Seeing this, the Black-Robed Man’s pupils contracted.

He reacted quickly, flipping up and trying to raise the door-sized giant sword that had been under him to block this devastating attack.

But the moment he held the sword across his body, he was completely enveloped by the red light curtain.

His figure gradually became transparent in the dazzling red light, and finally disappeared without a trace.

After the red halo’s energy dissipated, the Twin-Tail Girl in midair trembled slightly, snapping back to reality.

Cold sweat rolled down her cheeks.

‘No…what is this thing?!’

Just then, a crackling sound came through her long-silent earpiece, followed by a tone indicating an incoming call.

The girl paused slightly.

She reached out her free hand and tremblingly pressed the button on the side of the earpiece.

The call connected.

A cheerful, lively girl’s voice exploded in her ear:

– “Xiaocao! Xiaocao! Can you hear me? Can you hear me?”

– “I finally got through to you! Did something happen?”

– “Don’t worry, don’t worry! Sister Xinya is already on her way! Just wait a little longer! We’ll meet up soon!”

– “No!”

The Twin-Tail Girl blurted out almost instinctively, her voice still trembling and urgent.

Hearing Xiaocao’s panicked cry, the other end of the line fell into a brief silence.

After a moment, as if realizing something, the previously cheerful voice became extremely urgent, pressing:

– “What’s wrong? What’s wrong? Did something dangerous happen again?”

Xiaocao slowly lowered her head.

Her eyes fell on the few torn pieces of black robe left on the ground after the blood-red energy dissipated.

She swallowed hard and answered with difficulty:

– “Mm…”

– “What’s going on? You’re this nervous? How dangerous is it?”

At this, Xiaocao’s expression instantly became conflicted.

She recalled the earth-shattering power of the red halo and felt a wave of fear.

‘Such a terrifying attack, she even doubted Sister Xinya could handle it, and might even get herself killed.’

The companion on the other end, apparently alarmed by her prolonged silence, grew even more panicked:

– “Are you okay, Xiaocao? Is it really, really dangerous?!”

– “Tell me! Don’t scare me!”

– “Why aren’t you talking? Have you already run into danger and can’t respond?”

– “Oh no, oh no! Wuwuwu… Cao’er is in trouble! Cao’er is going to die!”

Xiaocao: “???”

‘How did you come to that conclusion?’

But before she could respond, the girl on the earpiece grew even more frantic, shouting things like:

– “Emergency! Sister Xinya! Sister Ling’er! Hurry and go support her!”

Seeing this, Xiaocao gritted her teeth hard.

She took a deep breath, repeatedly telling herself not to panic and to explain the situation clearly.

But the more she told herself not to be nervous, the more tense she became, and her body started trembling.

When she finally opened her mouth to speak, everything she had planned came out wrong.

– “I-I-I-I-I’ve got a really strong guy here! D-d-don’t come!”

After she said that, the call fell into dead silence.

After a long moment, the girl’s voice came back with some embarrassment:

– “Sorry, sorry, I forgot you stutter.”

Xiaocao silently looked up at the pitch-black sky, her face full of resignation.

She said weakly:

– “It-it-it’s okay.”

Just then, a new female voice cut into the channel.

This voice was more mature and steady than Xiaocao and the previous companion, but now carried a seriousness that allowed no argument:

– “Xiaocao, I’ll be there soon! Stay in a safe place and protect yourself!”

Hearing this familiar voice, Xiaocao perked up and answered firmly:

– “Mm!”

Just as she solemnly agreed, she felt a dazzling red light flash before her eyes.

She jolted in fright.

Without thinking, she quickly looked down toward where the red light had flashed.

In the night, the once-clean street had been reduced to a messy ruin.

Broken walls and collapsed structures outlined grim silhouettes in the darkness, like a desolate picture of the apocalypse.

Above this ruin, the red halo was now slowly drifting back the way it had come.

With her vision far beyond normal, Xiaocao followed the red light closely and soon pinpointed where the halo was returning to.

On the street not far away stood a figure completely clad in black tactical gear.

The outfit was no different from special forces or agents in movies and games.

The black form-fitting combat suit outlined a sharp, agile figure.

A gas mask covered most of the face, and the eyes were equipped with a three-in-one device combining binoculars, night vision, and thermal imaging.

The lenses reflected a cold light, hiding the rest of the face completely.

Xiaocao’s gaze locked onto the person.

Almost at the same time, as if sensing her, the figure slowly turned to look at Xiaocao on the billboard.

The moment their eyes met, a bone-chilling cold shot from Xiaocao’s feet to her head, making her shiver involuntarily.

Staring at the cold lenses, she didn’t feel like she was looking at a person at all.

Instead, it was like gazing into a bottomless dark abyss, or overlooking a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood filled with countless screams.

‘This guy must have shed an insane amount of blood, definitely more than any Zealot she had ever seen!’

‘Damn, could Chahu’s jinx really come true? Was she really going to die here today?’