In the surrounding darkness, fully armed warriors kept emerging. Judging by their uniform armor and gear, it was clear they were Hellhound mercenaries, numbering in the dozens.
Lucifer, recognized as New Moon Cityās mercenary realmās best rookie for 150 years, was someone Nuobai certainly knew.
However, they had never interacted nor had any grievances; she couldnāt understand why this guy would come for her.
Now Grandma Zheng was in his hands, and Nuobai dared not make a move. She subtly pressed her palm, signaling for Lucifer to calm down, and then tried to negotiate on her phone.
Yet, the phone was severely damaged in the recent explosion and was no longer usable.
Seeing this, Lucifer grinned and said, "Are you trying to ask me why, despite having no past grievances, I targeted you? How I knew youād be here?"
"Firstly, let me declare, I really donāt have any personal grudges against you. But thereās nothing I can do; someone paid a hefty price on the dark web for your head. Why not earn easy money?"
Nuobai squinted her eyes upon hearing this.
The dark web?
Why was her information exposed on the dark web...
Where did it leak from...
Grandma Zhengās voice interrupted Nuobaiās thoughts; she cautiously asked Lucifer, "Who are you people? Donāt bother her! Otherwise, Iāll call the police!"
"Call the police?" Lucifer laughed as though he had heard a joke, casually pointed to the electronic countermeasure unit on his shoulder, "Iāve jammed all signals; where do you plan to report?"
He continued in a mocking tone, "Old woman, you seem pretty close to this girl. I wonder, do you know who she really is?"
"You think Iām the villain? Wrong! The people sheās cut down outnumber those Iāve killed! Iām just a rookie in front of her, alright?"
Grandma Zhengās gaze flickered in surprise, traveling between the sneering Lucifer and the grim-faced Nuobai for a long time, finally shaking her head and muttering, "Impossible, sheās a good child, not a bad person..."
Nuobai bit her lip tightly upon hearing this, her chin trembling slightly.
"Believe it or not, Iām too lazy to explain more, she knows it herself." Lucifer looked at Nuobai playfully, teasing, "I heard you retired earlier; I was quite surprised."
"In this city, I havenāt seen any great mercenaries reach your level and finally land safely and retire completely."
"Enjoying retirement, huh? Walking, raising cats, no more fighting, no more client troubles, almost like a dream, yes?"
"Donāt be foolish, Nuobai, once you step into this realm, one day a mercenary, always stuck in this circle for life."
"Ever heard, a legend from New Moon City has only one ending, the cemetery."
With that, Lucifer pointed the gun at Grandma Zhengās head, smiled at Nuobai, and said, "Letās make a deal. Simple, your life for this old ladyās life."
"Being a mercenary for decades, killing so many people, stained with sins, finally encountered a caring elder, you couldnāt just watch her die, could you?"
"Stand still, it will be quick, over in seconds. Dare to move, Iāll blow her head off."
Nuobai clamped her teeth tightly, her mind a whirlwind.
She could sense, in the shadows, snipers aiming at her.
The Crimson Rose Blood Code had strong recovery powers, but if her head was blown to bits by a large-caliber bullet, recovery would be incredibly difficult.
Lethal strikes couldnāt be taken head-on, only evaded.
But with Grandma Zheng in Luciferās hands, if she evaded, she couldnāt predict what this lunatic might do...
What to do...
What should she do...
The atmosphere nearly solidified under pressure as time seemed to stretch infinitely, becoming incredibly slow.
Nuobai stood silently in place, not daring to face Grandma Zheng after her identity was exposed, fearing to see disappointed eyes.
Grandma Zhengās eyes were filled with sorrow, silently observing the child who had accompanied her meticulously for years and now labeled a murderous demon.
Lucifer smiled wickedly, eyes full of mockery, as though he already had the 500 million bounty tucked away.
Just as the pressure reached its peak, an incredible event occurred.
Grandma Zheng suddenly threw her frail body onto Lucifer, headbutting his face, shouting, "Bai Yatou, run!!"
Nuobaiās heart sank, wanting to tell Grandma Zheng to stop, but the innate hoarse voice couldnāt produce any sound.
Though Luciferās face was directly hit, he obviously wouldnāt be harmed by an elderly woman.
He casually rubbed the hit spot on his face, his gaze turning fierce, "Even my dad hasnāt hit my face."
"Bang!" The gunfire rang out, the bullet piercing through Grandma Zhengās head.
The elderly body collapsed into a pool of blood, marking the end of her journey.
Lucifer kicked Grandma Zhengās corpse aside, shrugged at Nuobai innocently, "I offered a chance, she sought her own death, canāt blame me."
Mutation arose suddenly.
Nuobaiās skin erupted with rising white mist, a sign of scorching body temperature against the cold air, blood surged through her body, delivering immense power.
Blood Burning!
As her blood temperature soared, those black eyes turned crimson, staring fiercely at Lucifer, seeming to tear him apart.
The terrifying pressure forced surrounding Hellhound mercenaries to step back, only Lucifer remained steady.
"Whistle~" Facing Nuobai in Blood Burning State, Lucifer seemed unconcerned, whistling mischievously, "Come, let me see what this legendary tale really is capable of."