Great! I'm surrounded by villains!
Chapter 224 - 144: Before Dawn Comes

Chapter 224: Chapter 144: Before Dawn Comes

Earth Wolf Twelve could hardly remember the last time he felt as fired up as he did now.

He tossed aside the orders of the Shanqi Commerce Association, the duties of a mercenary, and all the damn things on Blue Star, focusing only on the present, wholeheartedly engaging in this duel between men.

His fully mechanized body wasn’t supposed to have any human sensations, but it was at the moment when the operation room fell completely silent that his mechanical little finger twitched a few times.

It reminded him of the first time he had dueled in a desert town.

Earth Wolf Twelve chanted silently in his mind.

Three, two, one.

Which is faster, sword or bullet?

Or perhaps Eli and the strange Life Energy on this planet.

His draw was fast, so fast that it was as if time had stopped at that moment. He saw the blue muzzle flash from the revolver and then the five silver bullets firing out.

Two for Eli, three for Duan Mingyuan.

After all the action was taken, the first gunshot finally arrived belatedly.

By that point, Eli had no choice but to face the music, but his reaction was still a beat too slow. He was forced to activate the Barrier at the moment he heard the gunshot, and the Barrier instantly enveloped the entire database, but the two bullets aimed at him easily penetrated the Barrier’s defenses, heading straight for his chest.

A Flying Sword reached him faster than the bullets, grazing his neck, piercing his coat, lifting him into the air, and pinning him against a large piece of equipment in the database.

Eli also heard the faint sound of sparking electricity and the air was filled with the smell of charring.

"It seems I’ve made one wrong move."

A flicker of excitement and satisfaction crossed Earth Wolf’s eyes. The three silver bullets aimed at Duan Mingyuan split in mid-air, dividing into two and leaving scorch marks on walls, electronic equipment, and the floor.

A Ranger is fated to die on the battlefield after all; his journey’s end just came a bit later than others’.

But to encounter an adversary like Duan Mingyuan at the end of his travels, rather than dying amid dirty schemes, was also a stroke of good fortune.

His gaze started to shift, his vision trailing toward the ceiling as his body came apart.

Before falling to the ground, he tossed his revolver, a creation of Hot Sand Star that had subsequently been modified by Universe Company, towards Duan Mingyuan. This weapon had accompanied him for the better part of his life, to countless battlefields deemed "Dead Star."

And with his defeat in the duel, it became the spoils of victory for Duan Mingyuan.

However, Earth Wolf Twelve believed that anyone who could win it in a fair duel would make good use of the revolver and take it to even more distant places.

"Thump."

Time seemed to move very slowly, but it took less than three seconds from when he drew his gun to when the upper half of his body hit the ground.

The duel was over in less than three seconds.

Earth Wolf Twelve, being an altered human, didn’t die immediately from being cut in half. His vision was still clear as he hit the ground, and he saw Duan Mingyuan walking towards him.

Duan Mingyuan stood in front of him, looking down and examining the exquisite patterns on the revolver.

After a moment, he concluded, "Although the criminal has committed many evils, he surrendered without resistance and handed over the weapon used in the crime. These can be considered when discussing his sentence. I will explain this to the police on your behalf."

Then Earth Wolf Twelve found himself being hoisted up from the ground, and his severed body was pieced back together like Lego blocks.

Duan Mingyuan collected himself, Zheng Liu was still in a daze and couldn’t come here in person, so some words had to be said by him. "Mr. Earth Wolf Twelve, you have been arrested on charges of intentional injury, assault, attempted murder, and aiding in the operation of a gambling den. You have the right to remain silent."

Having said that, he looked up at Eli, who was pinned above the electronic equipment by the Flying Sword, "And you, Mr. Eli, you are charged with engaging in terrorist activities, theft, and first-degree murder."

"You’re a cop."

Earth Wolf Twelve was somewhat surprised. "A cop from Blue Star."

He had a natural fondness for the identity of a police officer, after all, on Hot Sand Star he was merely a town sheriff who formed the Rangers to protect the townspeople from monsters and diseases.

However, upon arriving at Blue Star, he couldn’t help feeling disappointed with the local sheriffs here and doubted whether they truly had the ability to protect the citizens.

Earth Wolf Twelve witnessed the deeds of Shanqi Commerce Association in Siyang City and often thought that perhaps it was the lack of competence of the city’s sheriffs that allowed a group of outsiders to run wild under their watch.

"A man’s duel, you win some, you lose some, lead the way."

...

The eve before dawn seemed like just another ordinary day for the police station in Siyang City, but beneath this facade of normalcy, an undercurrent was stirring.

Earth Wolf Twelve and Eli arrived at the police station early, and before their shift started, they filled out the surrender registration forms.

This was not easy, especially for people like them.

According to the existing laws of Blue Star, a single form would hardly suffice to contain their list of crimes; hence, following Duan Mingyuan’s advice, they opted to write down only the major offenses.

Duan Mingyuan encouraged them, saying that in legal terms this was referred to as "having the circumstances of a voluntary surrender," which could merit a lighter sentence at the court’s discretion.

Although insignificant, it marked the beginning of their transformation.

Before the police station became bustling, Duan Mingyuan stepped out and bought two bags of sauce beef buns from a stall in front of the station.

At this moment, Eli held a half-eaten sauce beef bun, reviewing the filled form and feeling that today was fraught with regret.

He had not foreseen the process nor the outcome.

A Star Zone fugitive with a bounty of 79 million Bei placed by Universe Company currently sat in the lobby of the police station, checking the registration form alongside a petty thug distraught over knocking out someone’s tooth in a street brawl.

Earth Wolf Twelve was a step ahead of him, even when it came to eating sauce beef buns and surrendering.

Having completed the registration form, he took it to the counter.

Behind the counter was a young girl who seemed to have been through several days of overtime, with evident dark circles under her eyes and sleepily yawning as she sat beside a freshly bought cup of hot coffee.

The sight of Earth Wolf Twelve’s mechanical body left her stunned for a good while, and the densely written form only intensified her astonishment.

She scrutinized Earth Wolf Twelve’s face, which had not been "contaminated" by machinery, and asked, "Your possessions were stolen at the comic expo? About how much was the theft, did it exceed 6000?"

"No one can steal my possessions."

Earth Wolf Twelve lit up another cigar right in front of the young officer.

"Then what are you here for?"

"Isn’t it clearly written here?"

"It’s precisely because it’s unclear that I’m asking you... can you summarize it briefly?"

"Assault, battery, first-degree murder, aiding in operating a gambling den..."

"Hold on a second."

The young officer extended her left hand, gesturing a pause, "You killed someone?"

It was hard for her to imagine that the person in front of her, dressed as if heading to a comic expo, would just casually mention something so grave; she emphasized, "Let me clarify first, if this is a prank, we will hold you responsible as well."

Earth Wolf Twelve’s expression remained unchanged, "Killed them."

"How many people?"

"Didn’t count, forgot."