Chapter 47 : This Gun is Really Nice
Chapter 47 - This Gun is Really Nice
The mountain forest was still silent.
At some point, faint moonlight pierced through the gaps in the canopy, falling upon the grassy ground at Li Nan Ke’s feet as if a layer of white salt had been sprinkled over it.
The ring on the man’s hand was also continuously emitting a glow.
This ring could not only summon his companions, but could also serve as a source of light.
Just as Meng Xiao Tu had said, this area did indeed have invisible walls, so he wouldn't get lost. Yet, even after searching the entire area, Li Nan Ke couldn’t find any sign of the little girl, Qinqin.
Even the Nightmare seemed to have forgotten to show up.
“Where on earth is that girl hiding?”
Completely baffled, Li Nan Ke wondered to himself, “A tree hollow, a rocky crevice, the bushes… Don’t tell me she climbed a tree?”
He casually looked up.
There, he saw a wisp of black mist floating high above, winding its way deeper into the woods like the black sash of a dancing woman.
A trace of the Nightmare!
Li Nan Ke’s expression changed slightly, and he immediately gave chase in the direction the black mist was heading.
A moment later, Li Nan Ke arrived at a relatively open area with sparse trees. The trail of black mist ended here, hovering in midair.
Where was the girl?
Where was the Nightmare?
Staring at the empty scene, Li Nan Ke was confused.
His gaze suddenly fell upon the ground beneath the black mist, where he noticed an area covered with branches and weeds, camouflaged with leaves.
A trap!
Li Nan Ke’s eyes suddenly lit up.
This place was a hunting ground, so it was highly probable that hunters had dug pit traps here. Could the little girl have fallen into one?
Without further hesitation, Li Nan Ke pushed aside the branches and, just as he suspected, discovered the opening of a pit.
Strangely, however, the trap itself had long been destroyed. The earth on one side had caved in, forming a pitch-black abyss. If he listened carefully, he could faintly hear a weak crying sound.
“Qinqin!” Li Nan Ke called out.
The crying stopped.
Without hesitation, Li Nan Ke jumped directly into the pit.
In the faint light provided by the ring, he slid down the collapsed portion of the hole and saw, just as he'd thought, a petite figure curled up in a corner, shivering violently.
From her clothing, he could tell it was Butcher Zheng’s daughter, Qinqin.
“I see now.”
At this moment, most of the questions in Li Nan Ke’s mind were answered.
Qinqin must have accidentally fallen into this pit after she got lost. Fortunately for her, the collapse had already destroyed the trap mechanism, which is how she survived.
And the little girl was trapped for another night.
But then how did she get out? Did she climb out on her own?
In the daytime, she would have been able to see her surroundings dimly; it should have been possible to climb out of this collapsed pit.
As Li Nan Ke pondered this, he walked over to the little girl.
The girl had her small head buried in her lap, her arms wrapped around her knees. She didn't dare to glance up, and only the sound of her quiet sobs could be heard.
“I’m a friend of your papa, Butcher Zheng. We’ve been looking all over for you.”
Li Nan Ke comforted the girl in a gentle voice.
Upon hearing the words “Papa, Butcher Zheng,” the little girl flinched and timidly raised her small, tear-stained face.
Her delicate face was deathly pale with fear, her eyes filled with terror.
The next second, however, her eyes widened in terror at the space behind Li Nan Ke. She let out a scream and immediately buried her head again.
A chill shot up Li Nan Ke’s spine. He whipped out his flintlock pistol and aimed it behind him.
A cold sensation instantly washed over his heart.
Standing before him was a figure drenched in blood, as if it had crawled out of purgatory. Even its eyes were a horrifying blood-red.
Bang!
Li Nan Ke pulled the trigger without hesitation.
The blood-drenched figure instantly dissolved into a cloud of black mist, but in the next moment, it reappeared on his other side, its sinister aura even heavier than before.
Just as he’d thought, fighting on someone else’s turf was incredibly difficult!
Li Nan Ke scooped the little girl into his arms and retreated toward the opening of the pit, his flintlock pistol fixed firmly on the Nightmare.
“Big Brain!” Meng Xiao Tu’s voice rang out from above.
“Down here!”
Li Nan Ke yelled. Seeing the young woman appear at the edge of the hole, he gave the little girl in his arms a powerful shove toward her.
“Protect her!”
With that, Li Nan Ke plunged back into the collapsed cavern.
Seeing this, Meng Xiao Tu grew frantic.
“Big Brain, don’t be foolish! You can’t kill the Nightmare!”
The words had barely left her mouth when a powerful wave of sinister Yin energy erupted from the pit, sending Li Nan Ke flying. Even Meng Xiao Tu, who had just caught the little girl, was knocked to the ground.
“Fuck, how is it so strong!”
Li Nan Ke scrambled to his feet, shook his head, and muttered a curse. He was finally learning just how hard it was to fight an away game.
The black shadow that now appeared was no longer a single entity. Dozens of them materialized, floating densely all around like a black wave of clouds, creating an indescribable and heavy sense of oppression.
“Big Brain, you protect Qinqin! I’ll handle this!”
Meng Xiao Tu whipped out her twin meteor hammers and began smashing at the black shadows, but each strike only hit an afterimage.
The dense black shadows pressed in like waves, making it increasingly difficult to breathe.
Li Nan Ke reloaded his pistol, gripped the firearm tightly, and said in a low voice,
“The Nightmare is creating illusions to confuse us. We have to find its true body to eliminate it.”
Meng Xiao Tu had of course realized this too. She stomped her foot in frustration.
“Why isn’t Sister Leng here yet? I have a way to find the Nightmare, but I can’t be distracted enough to deal with its true body.”
“You find it, I’ll deal with the real body!”
“You?”
Seeing the flintlock in Li Nan Ke’s hand, Meng Xiao Tu asked in astonishment,
“Where did you get that flintlock? It doesn’t look like the one Caiyun gave you. And can a mere flintlock really kill a Nightmare?”
“Less talk, hurry up!” Li Nan Ke fired two shots randomly at the black shadows, creating an opening for Meng Xiao Tu.
With no other options, the young woman bit her lip and decided to risk it. She sat cross-legged on the ground, linked her index fingers together, and an eye suddenly bloomed open on her forehead, radiating a purple light.
Driven by Meng Xiao Tu’s will, the purple light spread out to form a large purple net, enveloping all the surrounding black shadows.
Countless eyes floated in midair, scanning each and every black shadow.
“Found it!”
Instantly, a delighted expression bloomed on Meng Xiao Tu’s fair, round face as beams of purple light shot out, illuminating one of the black shadows.
Without the slightest hesitation, Li Nan Ke fired.
With a bloodcurdling shriek, the surrounding illusions instantly dissolved into smoke. Only the black shadow that had just been shot fell to the ground.
The black shadow attempted to flee, but Li Nan Ke, having reloaded his pistol, fired another three shots in quick succession.
A horrifying shriek stabbed into their ears, feeling like a sharp knife churning inside their brains. Meng Xiao Tu quickly lunged to cover the little girl’s ears, her own face twisting in agony.
As she was struggling to endure the pain, a pair of warm hands covered her ears.
Meng Xiao Tu froze, looking up at the man in front of her. His eyes were slightly closed as he, too, endured the Nightmare’s agonizing shriek with great difficulty, his handsome face turning pale and contorting from the strain.
The young woman bit her tender red lips, and a ripple like a soft spring breeze passed through her bright, lively eyes.
Fortunately, the piercing sound did not last long and gradually subsided.
Li Nan Ke sighed in relief. He saw the Nightmare still struggling on the ground, having reverted to its previous blood-soaked form, writhing like a blood sausage coated in chili powder.
“Goodbye.”
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Li Nan Ke fired three more times.
The Nightmare dissolved into a cloud of black mist that dissipated into the forest, and a white pearl bored its way into the man’s chest.
With that, the crisis was completely resolved.
The two of them let out a long exhale, releasing the pent-up tension.
“Big Brain, you’re amazing!” Meng Xiao Tu beamed, her smile like a blossoming flower, as she snatched the flintlock from Li Nan Ke’s hand.
“Is this a magical artifact? It’s the first time I’ve ever seen a flintlock capable of killing a Nightmare.”
“That’s my gun. Please don’t grope it.” Li Nan Ke frowned.
“Aiya, a little touching won’t kill anyone,” Meng Xiao Tu pouted, caressing it fondly.
“What is this flintlock made of? It’s so hard, and the barrel is so thick. It feels a little hot, too.”
“Hand it over, now.” Li Nan Ke snatched it back.
Meng Xiao Tu scoffed, her beautiful eyes turning toward the sky.
The once ink-black sky was now dotted with specks of white light, and the surrounding trees were beginning to blur.
Even the little girl Qinqin’s body was becoming transparent.
“The Nightmare has been eliminated, so the Red Rain dream is about to disappear,” Meng Xiao Tu said, waving at Li Nan Ke.
“This girl should be waking up soon. I have to return to reality first to check on Sister Leng. See you on the outside.”
“Is Lord Leng alright?” Li Nan Ke asked with concern.
Meng Xiao Tu sighed. “It looks like there was a complication during the dream-entry process that prevented Sister Leng from coming in. This kind of thing has happened before. Don’t worry, I’ll handle it.”
“Oh.”
Li Nan Ke relaxed. He raised his flintlock pistol and aimed it at Meng Xiao Tu.
“Then let me send you back to reality.”
“Eh?”
The young woman jumped in surprise. She quickly pushed his arm down and said irritably,
“I’m a high-level Dream Master; I don’t need that method. Use it on yourself. Or you could just wait for the dream to disappear on its own, but that will take longer.”
With that, the young woman blinked, and her figure vanished from the spot.
Li Nan Ke scratched his head, looking frustrated.
“Then why the hell do I have to use such a stupid method?”
Resigned, the man raised the flintlock and pointed it at his own head.
Clap! Clap!
The sudden sound of applause rang out.
Li Nan Ke spun around and saw the blurry, beautiful silhouette of a woman appear in the nearby woods.
“Brother Li, how did you like this welcoming gift?” The woman asked with a smile.