The King of Black Fog

Ming City Technology Plaza stood nearly a hundred meters tall, and naturally, there were many elevators, with eight facing each other, along with numerous staircases.

Li Changzhou and his group followed the rescue personnel up the backup staircase to the 21st floor and quietly waited for news.

The soldiers drew fire elsewhere, but they wouldn't have it easy either. Not to mention anything else, they were bound to confront the mother mosquito.

Li Changzhou glanced sideways. The chubby owner wore knuckle dusters, daring to forego a bulletproof vest. One could roughly guess his skill; however, the female celebrity remained a mystery.

Logically, since they were acting together, they should share their backgrounds to facilitate coordination. But they hadn't said anything to each other.

Between players, it was destined to be a rivalry.

He then thought of those players the game called 'Doomsday,' wondering what their existence was like?

(Wait, am I also a white card player?) Li Changzhou suddenly realized.

Just then, intense gunfire echoed in his ears.

"Yijun, keep an eye on the number of mosquitoes and inform me at any time," Zheng Qing commanded into her headset.

"Understood!"

The gunfire continued for a while.

"Sister Qing!" Tang Yijun shouted into the headset.

"Be careful not to hurt the hostages," Zheng Qing raised her submachine gun, "Go!"

Six soldiers took the lead, storming up to the 22nd floor. Li Changzhou and the other players followed closely behind, with the rescue personnel in protective clothing, some carrying stretchers, bringing up the rear.

Upon reaching the stairwell on the 22nd floor, they waited quietly again until a soldier silently unlocked the door and waved his hand, signaling the team to officially surge onto the 22nd floor.

The previously dense swarm of mosquitoes was gone, the walls once again visible. Occasionally, a mosquito or two clung to them, looking possibly dead.

Tables and chairs were in disarray, dishes scattered across the floor, hostages hiding among the mess, some crouched inside cabinets.

The mosquitoes hadn't intentionally herded them together. For them, this self-service restaurant was akin to a human fish tank: whether the fish hid amongst the aquatic plants or behind the rockwork, it didn't matter as they could be caught whenever desired.

Hearing the gunfire, the hostages had long known that the authorities had finally come for them. Seeing another group enter through a different door heightened their surprise.

Many burst into tears.

The voices of over five hundred people were about to erupt when Zheng Qing swiftly signaled the female celebrity with her eyes.

The female celebrity stepped forward and said, "Everyone, stay calm, we're here to rescue you."

The voices, about to boil over, were doused like cold water had been thrown on them. The hostages, frightened yet overjoyed, made barely any noise.

The female celebrity continued, "Don't panic. Those who can walk, please do so on your own; help each other if you cannot move. Rescue personnel are here to assist. Everyone will be alright."

Her voice, soft and gentle, seemed to soften everyone's heart, soothing them deeply.

Though she still spoke the official Daxia language, her accent carried the delicate tones of Gusu City.

This was just Li Changzhou's impression; he had never actually heard a Gusu native speak.

But no matter what, and regardless of where it was from, it could never compare to Yang Qinglan's voice—this was his personal opinion and a fact.

The hostages evacuated in an orderly manner. Children, the elderly, pregnant women, and the immobile were assisted by rescue personnel.

Throughout the process, the female celebrity continuously soothed them.

Maintaining such order would have been impossible a month ago, even with the best psychologists. Yet, a player had easily accomplished it.

The fat owner and Li Qianxia occasionally stepped in, helping to carry some unconscious people onto stretchers.

Li Changzhou remained motionless, vigilant in every direction, guarding Yang Qinglan like an owl.

His eyes swept across the scene; at the emergency exit, a black mist about two meters tall stood there. The escaping crowd continuously passed through its body like walking into a segment of a black waterfall.

This guy really resembled a ghost. He wondered if all white card holders had such an entity. If so, the thought of countless black mists watching him with indifferent eyes from the shadows sent a chill down his spine.

The rescue continued quietly and orderly, gunfire never ceasing.

"How's the situation?" Zheng Qing asked through the headset.

"No problem. The firearms are moderately effective, but the mosquitoes' proboscises are short; they can't penetrate the protective clothing or masks," someone responded through the headset, probably the person responsible for distraction.

"Quickly…"

"Sister Qing! They're coming down from upstairs! The black one!" Tang Yijun's voice suddenly exploded in the headset, shrill and piercing.

"Owlhead?" The abrupt cessation prompted an instinctive inquiry from below.

"The mosquito soldiers are coming down! Keep the swarm busy; don't let them come up!" Zheng Qing swiftly commanded, raising her gun toward the stairwell between the 22nd and 21st floors.

Black mosquito soldiers, armed with black steel guns, flew low and surged from there.

The crowd panicked, screaming and scrambling towards the emergency exit, instantly clogging the already small side door.

Screams, wails, curses, and cries turned the 21st floor into chaos, as if a timed bomb had been placed in the hall.

"Mu Rong!" Zheng Qing shouted as she fired.

Bullets tore through the black mosquito soldiers, and the other eight soldiers took turns shooting, determined to eliminate every single one that appeared.

Mu Rong raised her voice, her tone still soft: "Everyone, stay calm; it's alright. We'll protect you. Don't fight."

Despite her continuous reassurance, the crowd couldn't completely control their panic, but they managed to avoid trampling and crushing each other.

"Move faster!"

"I'll help you!"

"Get on my back!"

With the cooperation of professional rescue personnel, the rescue was busy but organized, continuing amid the sounds of gunfire and the smell of gunpowder.

"One got out!" Zheng Qing shouted.

A black mosquito soldier, wings buzzing, dived towards the crowd.

The mosquito soldiers swooped down.

"Ah!" a girl screamed, frightened and cowering on the ground.

The mosquitoes rushing into the crowd were supposed to be dealt with by the players, but there were too many people and careless use of firearms could lead to fatalities.

The chubby boss thrust his legs out and charged forward.

His legs full of strength, his weight of 160 kilograms offered no barrier to sprinting, but instead felt exhilarating.

A slender figure dashed past him, and by the time he regained his composure, he saw the mosquito soldier seemingly flying intentionally towards it, and with a sudden lateral move, impaled itself on a blood-colored steel spear.

Li Qianxia flicked her spear, tossing the mosquito aside, and squatted down to check on the girl.

"Are you alright?"

The girl suddenly burst into tears and threw herself into her arms.

Li Qianxia was at a loss, having never played the 'hero saves the beauty' before, she didn't know what to do.

Whenever she didn't know what to do, she would think about what her brother would do in this situation.

"It's alright now," she gently patted the girl's back, "I'm here."

These were the words her brother had told her when they slept together after she had watched a horror film as a child.

The girl excitedly clung to her neck.

This was just...

Li Qianxia's hand stiffened.

Had she clung to her brother's neck back then?

She was too young at the time, too sleepy, and hadn't taken it seriously; she had forgotten.

Rescuers quickly came over, intending to take the girl away, but she clung to Li Qianxia like a koala hugging a tree.

After much persuading, they finally managed to calm the distraught girl down.

Having saved just one person, Li Qianxia was already tired.

She complained to the chubby boss with dissatisfaction, "Why are you running so slow?"

"..."

The chubby boss really wanted to say his speed was comparable to that of a sprinter, it was her who was too fast.

But he couldn't say that, after all, it was a rescue, one couldn't complain about someone being too fast.

"Here they come again!" Zheng Qing shouted a warning.

The two snapped back to attention.

Two of them, one each.

This time, Yang Qinglan didn't assist Li Qianxia but instructed Li Changzhou, "Cover me."

"I'm here, you're here."

Yang Qinglan's feet left the ground, suspended in mid-air, and her hands aimed between the 22nd and 21st-floor stairwell, making a gathering gesture as if encircling the entrance within her hands.

"Hu!"

The howling gale and heavy rain fell like solid pebbles, hitting with a cracking sound.

The enclosed mosquito soldiers staggered left and right as if drunk.

How fierce were the wind and rain? Yang Qinglan was blown to the extent that Li Changzhou had to carry her; Li Qianxia struggled to move and breathed with difficulty. If this was the case for humans, let alone the lighter, flying mosquitoes, not to mention the low temperature.

For a while, no more mosquito soldiers could fly into the 21st floor.

Her move surprised everyone.

Whether it was the gentle voice of the female celebrity, or the speed and strength of Li Qianxia and the chubby boss, they were all somewhat acceptable.

But summoning a gale within the building and manipulating the heavy rain was truly the stuff of myths.

Yang Qinglan's black hair danced wildly, hovering in the air, her eyes deep blue, she indeed resembled a goddess.

"Miss Yang, come quickly to see the Heavenly Immortal."

"Shut up."

This guy only made her distracted.

"Cat head!" a voice exploded next to her ear, "The swarm is moving up!"

Zheng Qing's expression changed, more terrifying than the enlarged mosquito soldiers was the dark mass of the swarm.

Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz.

The fearsome buzzing sound drowned out the deafening gunfire.

A dark fog surged up the stairwell, not Li Changzhou's dark fog, but a cloud-like swarm of mosquitoes.

The crowd screamed again, and this time no matter how the female celebrity tried to soothe them, it was useless; even her face turned pale with fright.

Most of the people here were not wearing protective clothing, and being enveloped by the swarm...

Just as she thought of this possibility, she saw the dark cloud envelop a person.

"Ah—"

The person flailed wildly, scratching and rolling on the ground as if on fire.

Soon, the flesh began to shrink, the skin slowly adhering to the bones, quickly becoming as thin as a walnut.

By the time the dark cloud flew away, all that was left was a skeleton wrapped in skin, eyes bulging, dead with eyes wide open.