Ghost Rider

  As the car slowed down, the vehicles behind quickly closed in. Two off-road vehicles accelerated simultaneously, fnking from both sides, and the operatives inside drew their firearms, firing a barrage at Li Aozzi and his panions.

  g, g, g, g—

  "Tch!" The female operative in the car on the left showed obvious displeasure. If Nuo Mi weren't busy driving, she would have made a mog face at her.

  "Their car is bulletproof—give me the grenade uncher!" The operative, seeing Nuo Mi ignore her, was furious and reached back, demanding:

  "Hurry up! Hey—driver, keep the speed steady, grenades 't reach that far."

  "Agent Luo Fan, the captain wants them alive." Agent Yavanna's reminder came through the el.

  "I don't care, how do ture them alive without stopping the car?" Agent Luo Faed bluntly. "Do you think just because Di is dead, your academic approach work?"

  "Not at all, Agent Luo Fan. I just believe using vehicles to directly intercept is our advantage. Our cars weigh 3.4 tons, have wide tires, powerful engines, and thick armor. Acc to our training manual—" Yavanna's expnation was cut off by Luo Fan's impatience:

  "Oh, really? If the textbook is so useful, then do as it says!"

  She grabbed the grenade uncher hao her, opehe car window, and aimed at Li Aozzi's vehicle, just as the sunroof on their car suddenly opened.

  "—Hold on!"

  She paused, her eyes fixed on the figure emerging from the sunroof. Amidst the red-bck sky and swirling snow, she could barely make out a tall, slender male figure, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender. Over the roar of the engine and the wind, she faintly heard someone from the right vehicle shouting:

  "Please don't shoot! I surrender! I 't escape anymore! This Rose Army woman kidnapped me, she wants to iate with you."

  The words, spoken with genuiion and siy, made her hesitate. As she pohe validity of the statement, a whistling sound suddenly cut through the air, and the grenade uncher was knocked out of her hand by an iron .

  "When did—?!"

  Before she could react, the driver excimed, as something struck the windshield. Fortunately, their tempered gss was just as sturdy and didn't shatter. She saw a metal ister stuck to the windshield, oozing a colorless liquid that seeped down the hood. Soon, she caught a whiff of a pu fuel odor.

  "Fuel!"

  Li Aozzi dropped the gasoline-soaked baside the car, and Qiu Ran touched it lightly with her finger.

  Boom!

  A fierce dragon of fmes erupted from Li Aozzi's hand. He swung his arm, hurling it at the car that had been doused with gasoline!

  His grey eyes lit up with golden rings, applying gravity to the to assist its swing. As it desded, Li Aozzi suddenly reversed the dire of gravity, making the bear five times its weight.

  Li Aozzi's movements were incredibly fast, far exceeding the speed at which Agent Luo Fan could aim and shoot at him. Just as she raised her gun, the fming crashed onto the car's front!

  Bang!

  The inally less than 5-kilogram hit with the force of a onball due to the impact geed by its fall. The hood caved in instantly, and the gasoline seeping into the engine ignited immediately, spewing fmes at the passengers ihe driver and operatives were terrified by the fmes.

  "Ahhh—"

  The people in the back tried to extinguish the fire, but it was too te fent Luo Fan. Her protective gloves caught fire, f her to remove them quickly, but in that moment, her fate was sealed.

  Whoosh!

  The red-hot, fme-draped swung, striking her neck. The gasoline, influenced by gravity, spread from her neck down her back, seeping into her clothes and hair.

  In an instant, her head was engulfed in fmes, and she screamed in agony, abandoning all resistance. Her frantic filing disrupted the driver, who already had limited visibility due to the fmes and the snowstorm. The driver lost trol, and the car veered off course and disappeared from sight.

  Limited by the poor visibility of the outer world, the right-side vehicle could only see Li Aozzi waving the , unaware of what had happeo the left-side vehicle. Agent Yavanna, shouting in the el, received no response.

  The following vehicle accelerated, trying to close the gap.

  "Don't go over there, he's a gravity field ability user—"

  Before she finished, Li Aozzi tossed anasoline ister. The gravity field shifted, and the ister hurtled like a meteor, smashing into the windshield of the trailing vehicle!

  "What—ahhhhh!!!"

  The gss shattered, and the immediate fri and impact ighe ister. Without needing a follow-up attack, the driver, pierced by the gasoline ister, was engulfed in fmes. Panig, he caused the vehicle to roll over, lying overturned on the road.

  Soon, an explosion lit up the snowstorm behind them.

  "Agent Yavanna, what now…"

  The driver was shaken, the fate of the trailing vehicles making him fearful.

  Li Aozzi clearly targeted the drivers. The st driver had been gutted by the gasoline ister and burned alive, dying painfully with his passengers.

  Death wasn't terrifying, but dying so painfully was uling.

  "We—"

  Before Yavanna could speak, Li Aozzi gave them no time to pn. The rear operative screamed as the red-hot severed her arm holding the guing her clothes on fire. The e fmes ed her, rendering her helpless.

  "Help me, I, ah! I—I—ahhhh—"

  Her skin shriveled and cracked at an arming rate, the subeous fat igniting, her skin splitting, revealing blood vessels, then turning bd charred.

  "Agent Charles, grab the extinguisher!"

  "I'm on it—Chulin! What are you doing? Don't e near me, I'm trying to save you—ah!"

  She filed and struck herself, spreading the fmes. Agent Charles, bending to grab the extinguisher, was caught in her frantic grasp, igniting as well. She was ed by fmes, her body pressed down by the burning colleague, screaming in agony.

  "No, ahhhh—"

  She reached out to Yavanna, pleading desperately:

  "Kill me…"

  Yavanna's pupils tracted. She shouted:

  "Driver, unlock the doors!"

  "What are you—unlocked!"

  Yavanna gritted her teeth, opening the door. The wind immediately tore away her breathing mask, but she ig.

  Saving lives was more important!

  Yavanna hooked onto the door, climbing onto the roof, and opehe rear doors, pulling the two out of the car.

  Yavanna moved swiftly, the fmes not toug her.

  The two bodies were swallowed by the snowstorm and darkness, disappearing from sight… whether the fmes were extinguished or they were too far to see was unclear.

  "At least it's better than doing nothing—hmm!"

  Whoosh!

  Hearing a whistling sound, Yavanna ducked, avoiding Li Aozzi's swipe.

  The scraped her hat, sparking against the brim, illuminating her delicate face. Her golden-green eyes met Li Aozzi's grey ones, now glowing with golden rings.

  Those eyes were filled with a pt that was extremely off-putting—he seemed tard everyone as insignifit, looking down ohing, his expression rexed and carefree, giving her a sense of familiarity.

  Yavanna remembered the tourists in the capital's arcade, who moved joysticks to kill tless virtual "enemies."

  Yavanna's face turned displeased, her expression showing annoyance.

  She hated those who showed no respect for life.

  Click!

  Holding a pistol in each hand, Yavanna gred at him, ready to strike.

  "Huh…?"

  Li Aozzi was slightly surprised.

  "At this level, someone dodge my attack with their back turned."

  Impressive.

  The swung around, the gasoline burned out, and the fmes extinguished. Li Aozzi stood on the car roof, the hanging from his hand, still red-hot, creating wisps of steam in the snow.

  Half-lying on the off-road vehicle, Agent Yavanna aimed her guns, calmly Li Aozzi's movements without rushing to attack, unsure if his gravity ability would affect bullets.

  Li Aozzi wasn't in a hurry either. He quietly assessed the Law IV operative, her calm and steady demeanor trasting with the usual craziness of Law IV women, intriguing him.

  Was it her luck? Or had he bee rusty—unlikely, as soft ons, staves, and swords were all primary gear for [Starfall Masters].

  Li Aozzi had great fiden his skills.

  Whether it was luck or she was truly exceptional, her as would reveal.

  "A mere fry or a hidden shark... I hope she'll be worth my time."

  As an expert, very few at the same level and simir attributes could match his agility.

  This sudden appearance piqued Li Aozzi's i.

  Anyone win by overwhelming force; true petition is the most fun!

  Uhe red-bck sky, the two off-road vehicles roared forward like beasts, rag against each rey eyes and golden-green eyes log in a mutual gaze.

  They stood off for a long time, one side wary and cautious of the other's mysterious abilities, the other intrigued, looking at the oppo with the anticipation of a oy.

  Time seemed to slow like mercury, heavy and thick. Uhe intense mental strain, Yavanna's fair forehead broke out in cold sweat, while Li Aozzi maintained his rexed, carefree demeanor throughout.

  In just a few seds of idle stillness, Yavan each sed stretto eternity. Li Aozzi's calm and indifference imposed immense mental pressure on her. As her grip on the guns wavered slightly, a sudden query came from ihe car:

  "Li Aozzi, are you do—"

  Bang!

  The and the dual pistols rose simultaneously, triggers pulled, the still-warm glowing with a menag red light.

  In that moment, the csh of hot and cold ons, the collision of teology and supernatural abilities, marked the beginning of a blood-soaked frontation.