Developing Superpowers in Another World

Chapter 328 – Outer Attack on the Clinic

 

In the evening, the sky darkened slightly.

The peak period for foot traffic in the black market officially arrived. The dusty shops from the daytime lit up their colorful signs, glowing in all hues, creating a visual spectacle. Even Xiao Jiu pulled down the rope behind the shop door, and the neon sign for “Xiao Jiu Clinic” instantly lit up.

The sudden burst of light woke Tu Ran from her sleep. She frowned, placing a hand over her eyes. After adjusting to the brightness, she opened her eyes, sat up, and looked toward the window behind her.

The small clinic faced the street, and through the window, she could see everything going on outside.

“It’s dark,” Tu Ran said, her voice a bit hoarse from just waking up.

“Mm, do you want something to eat? I bought two portions,” Xiao Jiu’s muffled voice came from behind the computer desk, with a half-eaten noodle dangling from his mouth.

“No, thanks,” Tu Ran replied, jumping off the bed. She adjusted her mechanical head, aligning it more comfortably with her facial features and stretched her stiff neck. “I’m leaving.”

The moon was high, and the night was dark—perfect for murder and arson.

She was going to find Xie Zhao.

“Take care, stay safe.” Xiao Jiu saw Tu Ran out the door and then lowered his head to finish his unfinished meal.

The moment Tu Ran stepped outside, the warm air hit her face, mixed with the various smells unique to the black market: leather, tobacco, gunpowder, and the sharp scent of perfume…

Tu Ran frowned, suddenly finding the disinfectant smell from the little clinic oddly pleasant.

She raised a finger and tapped her temples twice, and a route map appeared in front of her.

It showed the location of the hovercar.

To make her movements more covert, Zero would arrange for different hovercars through various channels, swapping them frequently. This car had been arranged for her in advance, with the route sent to her earlier that afternoon.

Following the route, Tu Ran squeezed into the crowd, where the people were packed tightly together, brushing shoulders and elbows.

Tu Ran suddenly halted in her tracks.

She swiftly turned her head.

A blinding white light shot toward her.

In the blink of an eye, Tu Ran retreated ten meters.

The laser beam struck the spot where she had been just moments before, creating a hole in the ground. A nearby pedestrian, unable to dodge in time, was sliced in an irregular manner, their body severed in half. The cut was burned, and the smell of roasted meat filled the air.

The crowd on the street erupted in chaos, with people pulling out weapons to defend themselves. The individuals who frequented the black market at this hour were far from innocent, and some instinctively began firing in the direction of the laser gun. However, they had no idea exactly where the shots were coming from, and in the ensuing confusion, they inadvertently hit other innocent people.

The scene became extremely chaotic.

As Tu Ran retreated, another laser beam shot at her. She activated her [Teleportation] ability, dodging to the diagonal rear just in time to avoid the shot.

The laser beams followed her every move.

One after another, the beams would shoot toward her as soon as she moved, forcing her to constantly change positions.

She could dodge the lasers, but those without abilities couldn’t. The laser beams showed no mercy, cutting down anyone who got in their path. People were falling left and right, one after another.

Tu Ran did her best to avoid the crowd, but it was the peak of activity in the black market. The street was already densely packed, and now, with the gunfire breaking out, everyone scrambled to flee. The people outside, unaware of what was happening inside, rushed in, causing the street to almost completely block off.

Tu Ran’s evasion speed reached its limit. Her movements were so fast they left only a blur of her figure. Even as the laser beams fell like rain, they couldn’t touch the hem of her clothes.

In the brief moments of evasion, she retrieved a laser gun from her space and used her [Sense of Direction] to pinpoint the enemies hiding in various corners. One by one, she began to fire back.

[Absolute Hit] was proving useful at this moment. Tu Ran didn’t even need to aim much; as long as she fired in the general direction, she would hit the target.

The neon lights flickered, and the laser beams filled the sky, weaving into a net that covered the entire street of the black market. The ground was riddled with craters from the laser beams, and as the chaos began to ease, the crowd slowly started to move again. Tu Ran’s area of movement gradually expanded.

Tu Ran hadn’t strayed too far from the small clinic.

…

Meanwhile, Xiao Jiu, happily savoring his dinner, was suddenly interrupted by the gunfire coming from outside.

Such sounds were not uncommon in the black market. Every few days, there would be a gunfight, and after a while, it would calm down. He was used to it by now, so he continued eating his noodles.

But as he ate, something felt off. The sound didn’t quite resemble the usual gunfire.

He seemed to have heard it somewhere before.

Xiao Jiu chewed thoughtfully, and then it hit him—this was the sound of laser guns, mixed with a few regular gunshots.

Laser guns weren’t something just anyone could use. He quickly put down his chopsticks, dashed out of the clinic, and peered toward the source of the noise.

The bright white light blinding his eyes—it couldn’t be anything but a laser gun.

Then he spotted the figure darting around under the laser fire. Who else could it be but Tu Ran?

He hurried back inside to make a call. The call was quickly answered.

“Brother Xie, bad news! Sister Tu Ran is being attacked, right outside my clinic. There are a lot of laser guns on the opposite side!” As he spoke, he walked to the door and filmed the chaotic scene outside.

Xie Xu glanced at the footage, then said, “She can handle it,” before ending the call.

Xiao Jiu looked at the screen of the communicator as it went dark, then glanced outside at Tu Ran, who was surrounded by laser beams. He smacked his forehead—how could he have forgotten? Tu Ran had superpowers. Even the guards outside the Threshold couldn’t stop her, let alone a few laser guns.

He returned to his desk and picked up his bowl, squatting on the doorstep as he watched the scene unfold, savoring his noodles.

…

Tu Ran fired many shots, killing numerous people. The laser beams directed at her were just as many as before; there was no visible decrease. This wasn’t going to work. Tu Ran tried to contact Zero.

If Zero were here, it could quickly analyze the situation on the other side and plan an escape route.

But after several attempts, she still couldn’t get through.

A bad premonition began to creep over her.

Zero had never lost contact with her, especially in such a critical moment. With so many people gathered around Xiao Jiu’s clinic, all armed with laser guns, Zero would have noticed something unusual and would have informed her.

Where had Zero gone?

Tu Ran’s gaze darkened as she swept her eyes over the crowd moving away from her.

The crowd was packed together, making it difficult to retreat quickly. Since she was the main target, as long as she stayed away from the crowd, the laser guns wouldn’t target them.

She hadn’t intended to rush into the crowd.

But now, her uneasy premonition grew stronger. The whole world seemed to fade away, leaving only the sound of her heartbeat. The scene before her blurred, as if a river of blood covered her vision.

[Future Prediction] kicked in once again.

Without hesitation, Tu Ran dashed toward the crowd.

Laser beams followed closely behind her.

As the crowd realized what she was doing, they all began shooting at her.

 

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