Chapter 24: Black and White Cicada Shamans, Black and White Impermanence
Cicada shaman?
Interpreting it literally, does it mean cicadas that possess shamanic powers?
Xu Le observed the being's form from behind, and indeed, its wings resembled those of a cicada.
The pristine white clothes quivered slightly, also resembling a cicada's shell.
Is it human? Or a cicada?
It was certain that this being was an Anomaly, but what did "patrol-level polluter" mean?
Moreover, this level seemed to be something even the Golden Toad might not be able to handle!
The Golden Toad claimed to be a divine spirit, but are divine spirits only level 3?
When Xu Le's gaze shifted to the hand that the being had been concealing, his pupils suddenly contracted.
Xu Le had excellent eyesight, and at this distance, he could clearly see that the cicada shaman was clutching half a corpse in its hand.
Although the corpse was mutilated beyond recognition, judging from the ID badge on its chest, this person was likely a teacher from the school.
Even teachers were being killed?
What on earth was happening at Beacon University?
To put it more seriously, what was happening to Beacon City?
This was supposed to be the highest institution of learning in all of Beacon City, the educational district, proclaimed as one of the safest places in Beacon.
Now Anomalies were brazenly standing in front of the teaching building, killing teachers here.
Even if the Black Tide had arrived early, it shouldn't be like this, right?
What's going on? Where are the other guards here? Where are the Night Watchers?
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Several explosions in the distance caught Xu Le's attention, as well as that of the two Anomalies before him.
After hearing the explosions, the cicada shaman and the five-headed being flew off in that direction.
Xu Le silently watched for a while, and only after confirming that there were truly no Anomalies left here did he slowly release his hand from Wang Man's mouth.
"Alright, let's go."
Xu Le turned his head to look at Wang Man, only to find that she, who had been pressed against his chest all this time, was now blushing furiously.
"What's wrong now?"
Wang Man's eyes were brimming with tears, as if she was about to cry.
"Brother Xu Le, your... down there..."
Xu Le: ...
Xu Le himself was also a bit speechless. After secretly glancing down, he immediately felt that his little brother lacked self-control.
He slightly hunched his body, and the atmosphere suddenly became awkward.
After about 30 seconds, Xu Le straightened up again:
"Alright, let's go."
"That quick?" Wang Man suddenly became curious.
Xu Le: ???
What's what? What are you talking about? How can you, as a woman, be so... annoying?
Xu Le walked forward, feeling a bit self-conscious, while Wang Man continued to follow behind him.
"Brother Xu Le, wait for me!"
Looking at Xu Le's back, Wang Man pursed her lips and smiled lightly.
Wang Man hadn't seen the five-headed being earlier, but she had seen the cicada shaman clearly.
Although she didn't know what kind of Anomaly it was, Wang Man had seen the teacher's corpse in the cicada shaman's hand very clearly.
The teachers at Beacon University were not ordinary characters.
They were all at least level 2 experts, and some were even level 2 mages.
An Anomaly that could kill a teacher must be no less than level 2.
So although Xu Le had gotten aroused earlier, he was essentially protecting her.
Wang Man could discern this much.
...
Xu Le, walking and running, finally arrived at classroom A7, with Wang Man following behind him.
At this time, only one teacher carrying a large sword on his back was guarding the classroom.
Although still wearing a teacher's ID badge, he had changed into combat gear, looking quite impressive and extraordinary.
However, Xu Le's focus wasn't on this. What he was more concerned about was why there was only one teacher here.
Although this teacher looked formidable, he seemed no match for the cicada shaman from earlier.
Had the school's defense forces been reduced to this level?
"Teacher," they both called out in unison.
Zhang Zhe, the guard teacher of classroom A7, noticeably paused when he saw Xu Le and Wang Man.
His gaze lingered especially long on Xu Le.
"You're here. You, come in first. You, stay outside."
The teacher standing at the door pointed at Wang Man, but told Xu Le to remain outside.
Wang Man might be a bit slow, but she wasn't stupid.
After a slight hesitation, she realized that Zhang Zhe was not letting Xu Le in:
"Hey, what about Brother Xu Le?"
"You go in first. You don't need to concern yourself with other matters."
"No, Xu Le just saved me, twice."
"Go in now."
Zhang Zhe's attitude became somewhat forceful. Wang Man looked at Zhang Zhe, then at Xu Le, unsure of what to do.
Zhang Zhe was a retired Night Watcher with rich combat experience.
At this moment, Xu Le was covered in sweat, and his clothes and the weapon in his hand all indicated clear signs of combat.
So at first glance, Zhang Zhe knew that the two had likely already been through a battle.
Wang Man was in better condition, with no obvious injuries on her body, and no trace of Guyindo pollutant aura.
That's why he let Wang Man in.
But Xu Le was different. He had multiple abrasions all over his body, some places even bloodstained.
There was a large blood stain on his chest, and some on his neck as well.
It was a crimson mess, impossible to tell if it was Xu Le's own blood or that of an Anomaly.
The Guyindo aura was almost bursting from his body. In this state, Zhang Zhe definitely couldn't let Xu Le in.
If Xu Le had mutated during the Black Tide tonight,
It would be like a tiger among sheep, uncontrollable.
Zhang Zhe didn't mean to specifically target Xu Le, but for the safety of the majority, he had to keep Xu Le outside.
"Wang Man, go in," Xu Le spoke up at this point.
"Can I not go?"
Wang Man looked at Xu Le expectantly, but Xu Le's gaze suddenly turned cold.
"Go in."
Seeing Xu Le's cold demeanor, Wang Man became a bit scared.
Although they had only met for a short time, she had already noticed that the Xu Le before her was completely different from the Xu Le she once knew.
At Xu Le's insistence, she could only obediently walk into the classroom.
"Oh!"
Seeing Wang Man enter voluntarily, Zhang Zhe breathed a sigh of relief, and Xu Le himself also relaxed.
"Thanks."
Zhang Zhe thanked Xu Le, which surprised Xu Le that a teacher would thank a student for such a small matter.
"No need, teacher. I know you're thinking of their well-being."
"Uh."
Having his words stolen, Zhang Zhe felt a bit out of place, but he still smiled.
His previously cold expression also melted away at this moment.
"Although I can't let you in, you can stay here.
My strength may not compare to the mages, but before I die, I will protect my students, including you."
These words from Zhang Zhe came from his heart, making Xu Le feel some goodwill towards him.
"Thank you, teacher."
"No need to be polite, after all, you're also a student."
Xu Le looked at Zhang Zhe, and after a few seconds of silence, he still decided to report the situation he had seen to him promptly.
Because apart from Zhang Zhe in front of him, he didn't seem to have anyone else he could count on.
"Teacher Zhang Zhe, I just..."
"What happened just now?"
"I just saw a cicada shaman, it was holding half a teacher's corpse in its hand, couldn't see the face clearly."
"Cicada shaman, you mean cicada shaman? Black or white?"
Hearing about the cicada shaman, Zhang Zhe seemed a bit shocked, and he specifically asked about black and white, making Xu Le understand that he had asked the right person.
"White."
"I see! Alright, I got it."
Zhang Zhe nodded thoughtfully, then took out a somewhat strange paper, cut his finger, pressed his blood onto it, and the paper immediately ignited and disappeared.
"Thank you, you've provided very important intelligence.
Afterward, you will definitely be rewarded for this."
Although somewhat expectant of the so-called reward, Xu Le still felt that his little life was more important:
"Teacher, why are there so many Anomalies in the school? Where are the Night Watchers and the school's defense forces?"
"What's your name?"
Zhang Zhe didn't immediately answer Xu Le's question, but asked for his name instead.
"My name is Xu Le."
"Ah, Xu Le. Today's Black Tide has undergone some changes, it might be different from before.
The specifics haven't been explained from above yet, but what's certain is that tonight will be much more dangerous than before."
"I know that."
Of course Xu Le knew, tonight's Black Tide was no longer just a simple Black Tide.
Red Moon Catastrophe was the true name of tonight's Black Tide.
"Teacher, you seem to know something about the cicada shaman, can you tell me about it?"
"Of course, although I don't know much either."
"It's okay, just tell me what you know."
"Alright, cicada shaman is also known as 'Wuchang' by homophone, Black and White Wuchang, they are dual-born polluter-level Anomalies.
The white one is the White Cicada, female, able to command evil spirits and use shamanic arts.
The black one is the Black Cicada, male, with an extremely powerful physical body, impervious to blades and guns.
Because of their human-like appearance, some people also call them soul reapers, extremely powerful.
Some also refer to them as messengers of death.
Because whenever the Black and White Cicada Shamans appear, disaster always follows."
"If the cicada shaman appears here, can you handle it, teacher?"
"Well..." Zhang Zhe was at a loss for words.
Hearing this, Xu Le had already made some judgments in his heart. If nothing else, the Zhang Zhe before him definitely couldn't defeat the cicada shaman.
If the cicada shaman really appeared, they could only rely on the toad!
Indeed, one must rely on oneself.
Tonight won't be simple, I'm afraid!
(End of chapter)
Read ahead up to chapter 400 at