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The night was deadly quiet that one could hear a pin drop a mile away. There were occasional chirps from small insects and birds, adding a touch of nature under the shadows of the moon.
"Bang!"
Suddenly, a gunshot echoed from the mountain. Hundreds of birds fluttered from their branches, twisting their wings from the sound. Before long, one large bang came one after the other, and the calm night was soon replaced with cold utter chaos.
Zac Rong clutched his injured right arm as he raced through the woods, dodging the swinging vines. He could only see the shadowy figures of those behind him, with the moon and a certain glow being his only light sources. Despite this, he glanced at his arm, noticing how his white sleeve was growing bloodier by the second.
As he had expected, the warm glow belonged to the lights of a temple. Given that the city was a hundred miles away, this was the only spot he could hide in. Without any hesitation, he snuck towards the gates and stood by the front door.
His left fist knocked against the woody surface, and he gritted his teeth. Unexpectedly, at his first knock, the door opened with a creak. It seemed that the door wasn't closed. Knowing that his own disaster was imminent, he didn't bother to call out as he slipped into the crack and ran straight into the temple.
Due to the flickering faint light, he could barely make out the little details of the building. The surrounding columns were wide, and the ceilings were high. His gaze fell onto the center, where people placed their incense sticks to pray to the gods.
The closest hiding place near the gate was through the main hall of the temple, so he had no other choice. Halfway down the corridor, the gunshots reverberated around the hall, its bullets soaring through the censer. It hit through the surfaces with a loud bang.
Zac Rong quickly hid himself by the side, leaning against the censer and dodging the bullets one after the other. He placed a hand over his racing heart and tried his best to calm his shaky grip. The moment the gunshots had stopped, he jumped up and shot towards the direction where the bullets had come from.
Of course, one vs. four was never a fair duel. Before he could react, another bullet shot through his arm, and he gritted his teeth. Blood trailed down and dribbled into the censer.
Before his opponents could attack, the censer emitted a faint light. Slowly, the glow became stronger and stronger that it almost blinded him entirely. Wisps of green smoke waved over the corners of the censer and surrounded them completely.
Everyone lowered their weapons as their gazes were locked onto the shining light. Suddenly, a fresh fragrance flew across them, entering their nostrils before they could react. Before long, they collapsed one by one.
The smoke rose from the censer and descended beside Zac Rong, who had also fallen unconscious. As the smoke grazed across the pavements, a womanly figure stepped out from the colors. Her dress and arms were as white as snow. The only contrast she had was her long inky hair. A breeze blew, and the edges of her fabric rustled from the wind.
Although pale, her face was beautiful. She looked like a queen or a goddess who had fallen onto the earth's land.
Dressed in white, her image flickered from the soft light, as if she could disappear at any moment.
Anita Su stared at the unconscious man on the ground, and the white light surrounding her figure dissipated with a wave of her hand. When she saw that the person who had saved her was a man, she immediately stepped back, and her eyes flashed.
She didn't bend over until she saw the blood dribbling down his wounds. With a sigh, she stretched out her fingertips, and a white glow spun around his injuries.
When the light force retreated, her face had grown paler.
Her ability was only limited, so the best she could do was to remove the foreign matter and to stop the bleeding. However, her body had grown translucent from the act.
As she only saw the man's profile, she couldn't help herself leaning in closer--tempted to see the face of her savior.
But when she stood up, a man in black rushed through the door of the temple. He had a gun in his hands, and he pointed it every column he passed, as if readying himself for an attack.
When the man in black entered, the vigilant woman straightened her back and stared at the newcomer.
Her hand glowed once again. Although she was weak, she had more than enough power to deal with these mortals.
"Zac!" the man choked out as he gazed at their numerous enemies. When his gaze fell on Zac Rong, he let out a snuffled cry as he rushed towards the censer.
Seeing as the man looked friendly towards her benefactor, she slowly withdrew her mana.
No one could see her due to her transparency. But even so, she continued to watch as the strange man trudged closer to her savior. When his hands grazed over the unconscious man's wounds, she stiffened and stared as the man helped Zac Rong up.
Her face grew paler and paler as she circulated the mana inside her system, in hopes of protecting him. As her vision blurred, she quickly transformed into a bright twinkle of light and hid in her savior's ring.
Soon enough, the peace returned to the forest as the pair limped away. It was as if nothing had happened up the mountains.
The hospital, however, was nowhere near peaceful. A burst of rapid footsteps reverberated across the hallway as the unconscious Zac Rong was carried onto the stretcher.
There were so many people crowding over his body that the ring had fallen down due to a series of varied movements. The metal toppled onto the tiles.
Everyone was too worried over the young man's life that they didn't even notice the ring.
Meanwhile, Anita Su, who had been hiding in the ring this entire time, appeared from the impact. Given that she had used most of her power back in the temple, her figure was almost transparent, making her blend over the wall perfectly.
She turned her head, noticing how her benefactor was being hurried into the resuscitation room. Different people surrounded his limp body. Some of them even pressed their hands over his chest, trying to get him to keep breathing.
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