Ikezawa and Lü Heng were stunned, but they had urgent business to attend to. Forcing themselves to calm down, they hurried to catch up with Zhong Wanhong.
As soon as they entered the residential complex, they spotted two ninjas standing guard at the entrance, their backs to them. The two figures, clad in skintight black outfits, were scanning their surroundings, seemingly on high alert.
However, the direction of their vigilance seemed off.
Upon seeing this, Ikezawa instinctively slowed his pace, scanning the area for potential cover. Lü Heng, on the other hand, strode forward confidently, his voice as casual as ever. "I've encountered these guys a few times," he said. "They're a piece of cake to deal with."
He clapped Ikezawa on the shoulder. "Stop hunching over. Come on, they won't even notice us."
The two then brazenly walked right up behind the ninjas. Lü Heng continued, "Don't let their humanoid appearance fool you. Just think of them as monsters. No need for guilt—when you take them down, their bodies vanish into thin air. If you're lucky, they might even drop some loot."
By sheer coincidence, the two "Ninjas" standing back-to-back just ahead of them were whispering:
"Did you hear something?"
"Stay alert!"
The scene was almost comical, perfectly embodying the "blind and deaf" nature of minor enemies in games. Lü Heng grinned. "Perfect. One for you, one for me."
He rubbed his hands together and strode toward the ninja on the right.
It's worth noting that while these ninjas seemed deaf to footsteps and conversation, they could clearly hear gunshots, the shattering of glass bottles, and even the sound of pebbles hitting the ground. Stealth assassinations were therefore the safest and most effective approach.
Meanwhile, the perspective shifted to Firefly at the entrance of the residential complex. Bored, she was idly scrolling through her phone, completely unaware that she had just inadvertently exposed two layers of her secret identity. Even if she knew, she likely wouldn't care much.
As expected of the internet, the Dimensional Rift that had recently appeared in Firefly's complex was already making headlines. Online forums buzzed with discussion about the Dimensional Rift Incident:
[Look! A dimensional rift just popped up in my backyard! [Photo.jpg]]
[Seriously, it's terrifying. I saw something pitch-black fall from the sky right in front of me. Luckily, I ran fast, or I might have been a goner.]
[Speaking of which, another dimensional rift? Didn't one appear just outside the city recently? Are they appearing more frequently now?]
[The one outside the city was said to be man-made. There were tons of professionals swarming the area, and I even spotted foreigners. But even if you don't count that one, it's only been about two weeks since the last dimensional rift, right?]
Firefly frowned slightly as she read this, then immediately searched for news about dimensional rifts. Sure enough, less than eighteen days had passed since the last incident.
She remembered when the average frequency had been about one dimensional rift per city in the Dragon Nation per month. Now, they were appearing twice as often—every half-month.
The frequency of dimensional rift appearances had doubled? This was definitely not good news.
Whether it was the world of Little Glutton X-3192, where Scholar currently resided, or the Beast-Eared Girl World, she had personally witnessed the destruction of two worlds by Dimensional Rifts.
Initially, her sole purpose had been to return to her own world. Now, however, another objective had taken root: if possible, she didn't want this world to be destroyed. After all, she had lived here for so long and made many friends.
About half an hour later, the Dimensional Rift above the residential complex gradually shrank and vanished. Simultaneously, Zhong Wanhong led the Bureau of Anomalous Investigations team out of the complex. Addressing the crowd, he announced, "Alright, all the monsters have been eliminated. The area is now secure. You can all return home with peace of mind."
The ninjas, after all, were merely "small fries" with mediocre combat skills. The real challenge was that the Bureau didn't know exactly how many ninjas there were or their precise locations within the complex. They needed to meticulously search every corner and conduct a thorough sweep to ensure no hiding places were missed.
What if they overlooked something? What if even a single stray monster slipped through? If civilians returned before the area was fully secured, disaster would surely follow.
The most dangerous part of the operation was the thorough search. Dealing with the two ninjas guarding the entrance had been relatively straightforward, but what if they suddenly encountered another ninja around a corner while searching?
In urban combat, even untrained civilians could kill elite soldiers. The same principle applied here: as long as the power disparity wasn't too great, an unexpected ambush could prove deadly.
Normally, resolving a Dimensional Rift Incident like this would take several hours. But Li had been instrumental in this operation. Her extraordinary senses allowed her to anticipate danger, making ambushes impossible.
Moreover, her nose could track the scent of ninjas, and her ears could pinpoint their exact locations by detecting the faintest sounds they made.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say that Zhong Wanhong suddenly thought of police dogs at that moment, and the idea filled him with intense longing.
In any case, the Dimensional Rift Incident was resolved flawlessly without any unexpected incidents. After exchanging greetings with Zhong Wanhong, Lü Heng walked straight through the crowd toward Firefly.
Lü Heng waved his hand and called out, "Peace Dove?"
Firefly put down her phone and nodded slightly. "What's up?"
Lü Heng rubbed his hands together nervously. "Um... are you free for lunch? Want to grab a bite together?"
Truthfully, he was dying to know more about SAM, the handsome robot. The idea that it was just a mecha piloted by a beautiful girl was simply... too good to be true, right?
Realizing his sudden invitation might seem odd, Lü Heng quickly added, "It's a Chat Group gathering. Daoist Wuwei from the group will be there too."
Though the invitation was a bit abrupt, Firefly considered it. She didn't have any plans anyway, so she nodded. "Sure, but let me go home first to change and freshen up."