Chapter 148: Face to Face

“I knew Qinggang would react but I never expected it to be this intense.”

Qin Ran seemed oblivious to the changes occurring around him as Lu Xin’s eyes, though seemingly vacant, scanned their surroundings.

His expression remained calm. Even knowing the man before him was an ability user from Qinggang who had tracked him to this small town, finding him directly… what that implied… Qin Ran still appeared remarkably composed.

He took another bite of corn and smiled at Lu Xin. “Finding your way here means Chen Zhong fell into your hands, doesn’t it?”

It took a moment for Lu Xin to react, his gaze finally focusing on Qin Ran.

Qin Ran looked at Lu Xin and explained with a smile, “He’s a decent guy, and tough too, not afraid of pain. It’s hard for most people to make him talk. Besides, we had an agreement. If he fell into enemy hands, he just had to hold out for three days before spilling everything. But you found me so quickly…” He paused, then asked with a curious smile, “I’m quite curious. What did you do to him?”

“…”

“Strictly speaking, I didn’t do anything to him personally. He confessed voluntarily.”

Lu Xin answered honestly, “And you shouldn’t be surprised!”

“You caused such a huge incident back in Qinggang, killing so many people. You must have considered that we’d come looking for you.”

“…”

Hearing Lu Xin’s words, Qin Ran seemed slightly taken aback. “You came after me because of those people in Qinggang?”

Lu Xin also seemed a bit perplexed. “So many people died. Isn’t it normal for me to come after you?”

Qin Ran paused for a moment before shaking his head slightly.

His expression was odd, as if finding the notion laughable, almost absurd.

After a while, he chuckled. “I thought you were chasing me so relentlessly because you’d discovered the value of that painting.”

“That painting?”

If Qin Ran hadn’t brought it up, Lu Xin had almost forgotten about the painting. He paused, then explained softly, “If you still have the painting, I’ll take it back with me later to report. If not, it doesn’t matter!”

“What matters is you!”

As he spoke, his gaze flickered towards the room behind Qin Ran. “But I remember there were seven of you in total.”

“Besides you and Chen Zhong, there are five others. Not a single one can be missing…”

“…”

Qin Ran kept his eyes fixed on Lu Xin, seemingly searching his face for any hint of mockery or some other emotion.

But there was nothing. He only looked serious, with an unusual earnestness.

This meant Lu Xin was telling the truth.

And because of that, his expression became somewhat unnatural. “Little brother, surely it hasn’t come to this?”

“You chased me for over a thousand miles, straight into this place, just for those few lives?”

“…”

His words were filled with incomprehension, which in turn puzzled Lu Xin.

His brow furrowed tightly. “Those were living people, over two thousand of them! How can you be so dismissive?”

“…”

“Haha…”

This time, Qin Ran truly laughed, finding it genuinely amusing. He raised a hand, pointing at Lu Xin, seemingly wanting to say something but unable to hold back his laughter. After laughing for a good while, he continued, “Little brother, you’re an ability user too, right? Spider-type, I recall?”

“Have you really not realized that we’re already different from ordinary people?”

“The things we can achieve… they can’t even begin to comprehend them, let alone do them!”

“I believe what someone once said: to ordinary people, we are like gods…”

“This world under the Red Moon is our world. We do whatever we want. If you came for me because of that painting, or because I ambushed you back then, I could understand. But saying you came for those people…”

“…Hahaha!”

“…”

Watching Qin Ran laugh so heartily, Lu Xin first reflected on himself.

Did I say something wrong?

Am I doing the wrong thing?

Then he realized there was nothing wrong with what he was doing.

So, his brow furrowed, and he said, “You should read more books…”

“The textbooks say there are no gods in this world.”

“…”

Qin Ran paused, looking at Lu Xin with suspicion, even more unsure if he was being serious or mocking him.

“Let’s take a step back…”

Lu Xin slowly raised his head, looking earnestly at Qin Ran. “Even if there were gods, they wouldn’t be like you.”

“And they certainly wouldn’t be like me.”

“So, at most, you’re just a madman…”

“…”

As he said this, he stepped forward.

This person was nuts. His laughter was irritating. Better to capture him first.

Then, just as Lu Xin moved forward, Qin Ran’s laughter abruptly stopped. He straightened up, looking coldly at Lu Xin.

Nearby, Mom spoke softly, “Be careful!”

…

…

At the same instant, from the pitch-black rooms behind Qin Ran, intense flashes of light suddenly erupted.

It was the muzzle flare from gunfire.

In the flickering light, several faces hiding behind windows were illuminated – powerfully built figures wearing the same mercenary uniforms as Qin Ran.

Following the flashes of light came the deafening roar of gunfire.

Then, bullets flew out one by one, dotting the air, weaving into a dense net.

When tense, everything seems to slow down, but in reality, it happened incredibly fast.

Even without his sister beside him, Lu Xin’s reactions and speed were beyond compare for ordinary people.

He could feel all the bullets converging on him, each carrying terrifying force, sealing off the path ahead.

If he wanted to avoid being hit, his only option was to retreat.

But if he retreated, Qin Ran would escape.

This was the closest he had been to Qin Ran since the attack in Qinggang City. He didn’t want to back down.

…

…

“Go on…”

As the thought ‘I don’t want to retreat’ formed in Lu Xin’s mind, Mom’s gentle voice sounded beside him.

She had appeared next to Lu Xin at some point, shielding him from all the bullets.

Bullet after bullet struck her, but her expression remained gentle, elegant even.

There was even a faint hint of excitement in her eyes.

So, Lu Xin stopped hesitating. He lunged forward rapidly, reaching out through the thick smell of gunpowder.

His hand shot out, aiming for Qin Ran’s spine.

To deal with a mentally modified person under a Puppet-type ability user, one must directly destroy their spine.

However, in the files from Qinggang City, Qin Ran’s ability was marked as ‘unknown’.

So Lu Xin didn’t know the most precise and simple way to neutralize him.

But destroying his spine first certainly couldn’t hurt.

…

…

“Hm?”

When the gunfire erupted from the room, Qin Ran had already turned to rush inside.

But he hadn’t expected Lu Xin to be so fast.

Judging by the distance, it was as if Lu Xin had passed straight through a net of bullets to get behind him.

He seemed genuinely shocked. At such close range, no one dared to directly engage a Spider-type ability user.

In his haste, all he could do was dive to the ground, instantly rolling over and firing.

“Bang!” “Bang” “Bang” “Bang”

Several bullets shot upwards towards Lu Xin’s body.

But at that moment, Lu Xin’s body twisted unnaturally, vibrating rapidly, dodging all the bullets.

Simultaneously, his right hand spread open, fingers plunging viciously downward.

He had initially aimed for Qin Ran’s spine, but since he had rolled over, he went for the heart instead.

With a sickening tear, his hand plunged directly into Qin Ran’s chest, pulling out a red heart.

“Thump-thump,” “Thump-thump.” It was still beating.

The gunfire from the room abruptly stopped, as if the people inside were stunned.

Lying on the ground, the moment his heart was ripped out, the corners of Qin Ran’s mouth curved upward into a smile.

Lu Xin could almost hear his laughter: “Hehe…”

…

…

At the exact same moment, nearby, Mom suddenly shook her head slightly and let out a soft sigh.

Lu Xin realized something and hastily stuffed the heart back in.

Anyway, I didn’t crush it, it should still work, right…”