Tap, tap, tap! The moment the two of them reached the alley entrance, hurried footsteps rang out ahead.
The next instant, three Special Forces soldiers burst into view in front of Cao Liangyuan and his companion.
The trio froze for a second, spotting the floating Zhang Qing and the fat man they'd been chasing.
"Who are you? Put him down right now or we open fire!" The soldiers snapped their rifles up, barrels trained on them.
Cao Liangyuan scratched his head in resignation. "Such a pain."
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!
Just as he was about to act, the air overhead tore with a dense whistle of projectiles.
Thud! Thud! The three soldiers in front of him were skewered by crimson feathers raining from the sky, blossoms of blood bursting as they collapsed.
"Who's there!" The two of them paled, jerking their heads upward.
On the edge of a five-storey rooftop to the left now stood a three-metre-tall Birdman.
His feathers shimmered faintly in the sun, and the eyes in his avian head were razor-sharp.
Wei Gaocheng regarded them with icy eyes, then glanced at the battered An Conghao. "You two… aren't with the Xuanjian Division, are you?"
He'd raced here the instant the order came; as a Birdman, he was faster than the other two.
"No matter. Anyone who strikes at the Monster Association ends up the same." His wings spread behind him, murderous intent fixed on the pair.
Zhang Qing had no time to marvel at a talking Monster. "Big words. Let's see what you've got, Monster…"
Wei Gaocheng's wings snapped forward, hurling a dozen metallic-gleaming feathers straight at her.
They moved so fast only crimson after-images shrieked past; Zhang Qing couldn't even react.
"Watch out!" Cao Liangyuan leapt up, shielding her, arms crossed.
Bang-bang-bang! A heartbeat later the red streaks slammed into him, the impact blasting him backward through the air.
The body that could shrug off bullets was now pierced halfway by crimson quills no longer than a hand, pain twisting his face.
"Uncle!" Zhang Qing thrust out a hand, using her power to halt the falling Cao Liangyuan half a metre above the ground.
Whoosh! A rush of air eclipsed the light overhead.
"You lost focus." A cold voice sounded ahead. Zhang Qing's head turned stiffly to find the three-metre Birdman right in front of her.
Those frigid eyes and towering frame loomed over the 1.6-metre girl like a cliff.
Thud! Wei Gaocheng's left fist buried itself in her stomach.
"Agh!" The blow folded her in half, eyes bulging, drool flying—no trace left of the pretty girl.
An Conghao and Cao Liangyuan, released from her power, plummeted; the Birdman snatched An with one hand.
His other hand seized Zhang Qing by the hair. "Someone's backing you, but we'll deal with them later."
"Let go… my Boss won't let you off…" she rasped, voice weak yet defiant.
"Oh?" Wei Gaocheng paused, rising into the air and turning her to face the half-dead Cao Liangyuan on the ground.
"Ever seen a Flesh-and-Blood Firework?" he whispered, avian muzzle beside her ear.
"What… are you going to do?" Panic flickered across her face.
A cruel grin split his beak. "Why, give you a fireworks show."
The instant the words left him, the quills lodged in Cao Liangyuan blazed red.
Boom-boom-boom! Each feather detonated with the force of a grenade.
Cao Liangyuan was shredded into bloody fragments that rained skyward. Zhang Qing stared, trembling uncontrollably.
Wei Gaocheng let out a savage laugh, wings beating as he carried both captives into the sky.