"Help!"

"Run, someone got blown up!"

Panicked cries echoed through the street as people scattered and fled. The explosion of the bus affected many people nearby. Those closest to the bus had limbs severed, caught fire, while those farther away were knocked over by the blast wave and fell heavily to the ground. The explosion of the bus injured many passersby on the street, with some bystanders directly burned into charcoal by the raging flames. The street was in chaos, and the onlookers who had been watching the spectacle now scrambled to escape.

"Qin Yan, are you okay?" Li Ruobing rushed to Qin Yan's side, helping him up from the ground. Qin Yan looked disheveled, his clothes torn and his body covered in cuts from the explosion, presenting a terrifying sight.

"I'm fine," Qin Yan said in a deep voice. He had thrown himself to the ground during the crisis, lessening the impact of the bus explosion on himself. If he had been hit directly by the intense explosion, he might not have been able to withstand it.

"Not bad, holding up against me for this long." Yi Tianchou walked over with a grim expression, exuding a menacing aura as he looked at Qin Yan and Li Ruobing.

Qin Yan and Li Ruobing tensed up immediately. Qin Yan surveyed the chaotic street scene, seeing people struggling and crying for help after being affected by the explosion. Some were burned beyond recognition, while others lay lifeless on the ground. Although Qin Yan had witnessed such tragic scenes before, he couldn't help but be moved. He confronted Yi Tianchou loudly, "You're too ruthless! Dragging so many innocent people into this."

Yi Tianchou replied coldly, "So what? Blame their own stupidity and weakness. People like them are better off dead, it's an early release from the torment of this world."

"You're truly heartless! Aren't you afraid of retribution?"

"Retribution? If such a thing truly exists in this world, I'd like to see it myself." Yi Tianchou's eyes emitted a chilling killing intent. "Don't say I didn't give you a chance. If you are willing to surrender to me and join our 'Chi You' organization, I can spare your lives. Otherwise, your fate will be the same as these people."

"I spit on your offer. We don't need your mercy."

"Since that's the case, I'll send you on your way." Yi Tianchou's body slowly floated up, preparing to launch another attack on Qin Yan and Li Ruobing. Just then, a voice came from the side, "What are you doing?"

The three of them were taken aback, turning to look in the direction of the voice. They saw Wei Zheng standing ten meters away from Qin Yan, Li Ruobing, and Yi Tianchou, his face filled with astonishment.

"Young Master Wei, please stay back." Yi Tianchou was going to cooperate with the Sky Shield Bureau, and he didn't want Wei Zheng to get hurt if a fight broke out. He suspended himself in mid-air, refraining from attacking Qin Yan and Li Ruobing.

"What's going on with you guys? You just met and are already fighting to the death?" Wei Zheng looked puzzled, having witnessed the battle between Qin Yan, Li Ruobing, and Yi Tianchou just now.

"This is our own business. Please refrain from interfering, Young Master Wei," Yi Tianchou said sternly.

"Are you okay, Qin Yan? Do you need to go to the hospital?" Wei Zheng completely ignored Yi Tianchou's words and quickly walked up to Qin Yan. Seeing Qin Yan covered in soot, with torn clothes and looking like he had been seriously injured, Wei Zheng was concerned.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"I'm fine, don't worry." Qin Yan waved his hand at Wei Zheng. Although he looked quite miserable at the moment, he hadn't actually been seriously injured.

"That's good to hear." Wei Zheng, reassured by Qin Yan's strong voice, temporarily relaxed. He turned to Yi Tianchou in the distance and questioned, "You know he's my friend, yet you still want to kill him. Are you still willing to cooperate with us?"

"I think you've misunderstood, Young Master Wei. They are students from the Academy of Espers, not ordinary people. And one of the conditions of my cooperation with your father is to allow our Chi You organization to deal with the Academy of Espers."

"I don't care about that. I've already called the police. If you cause trouble again, I'll have my dad arrest you!"

Yi Tianchou frowned. Although he didn't take Wei Zheng's words seriously, considering Wei Zheng was the son of the Director Wei, and the cooperation with the Sky Shield Bureau had not been finalized, it was better not to escalate the situation. With this in mind, he turned to Qin Yan and said, "Alright, I'll let you go for now. Think it over when you go back. If you don't want too many casualties, then obediently submit to us and hand over the divine beast 'Emperor Jiang'."

Then, Yi Tianchou looked at Wei Zheng. "As for the cooperation with your father, Director Wei, I will personally discuss it with him in the future."

After saying this, Yi Tianchou rose into the air with a swift "whoosh," flying straight towards the horizon and soon disappearing from Qin Yan and the others' view.

Seeing Yi Tianchou leave, Qin Yan and Li Ruobing immediately felt relieved. Yi Tianchou was not only powerful but also ruthless. Continuing to fight him would only result in injuries. Qin Yan looked at Wei Zheng and said, "Thank you for just now. We're leaving now."

Wei Zheng was taken aback. "Where are you going? Are you going to that organization called the Academy of Espers?"

Qin Yan nodded.

Wei Zheng's expression darkened. "It seems you have really joined that organization, the Academy of Espers."

"Yes, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about it before."

"What are you going to do next? Are you really going to fight against Yi Tianchou and the Chi You organization?"

"It's not that I want to. You just heard it, Yi Tianchou is not willing to let us go."

"You can leave the Academy of Espers organization."

"No, the people in the Academy have been good to me. They have helped me a lot, I can't just abandon them."

Wei Zheng's expression was complex, unsure of what to say.

"That's it then, goodbye... maybe we shouldn't see each other again." Qin Yan said these words and didn't look back, quickly leaving the area with Li Ruobing, leaving Wei Zheng looking bewildered.

"Is it really okay to just leave your friend like that?" On the way back, Qin Yan and Li Ruobing sat in the car, with Li Ruobing driving and speaking softly.

"It's okay, maybe when I became an esper, I and him were already on different paths. It's better to make a clean break now." Qin Yan's face showed a hint of sadness as he spoke. After all, Wei Zheng was the only friend he had made at school, and although their relationship wasn't very deep, losing a friend like that made Qin Yan feel uneasy.

"If you're willing, you can consider me as your friend too." Li Ruobing placed her hand on top of Qin Yan's, trying to comfort him.

Qin Yan responded with an "mm" and didn't pull his hand away from Li Ruobing's.

"And no matter what you decide to do, I'll support you." Li Ruobing held onto Qin Yan's hand tightly. "Even if you decide to surrender to the Chi You organization, I'll support you. You've already done a lot for our academy, and I don't want you to get hurt because of this."

Qin Yan was taken aback, then his expression suddenly turned serious. "No, I can't listen to Yi Tianchou's words, not a chance!"

Li Ruobing knew Qin Yan was stubborn, so his response didn't surprise her. "Then what should we do? Yi Tianchou seems very powerful. If he personally leads an attack on our academy next time, I don't think it will be easy to handle."

"So what?" Qin Yan said resolutely. "I refuse to believe he has no weaknesses, and I didn't lose in our previous encounter. I didn't even use the powerful spear weapon. If it comes down to a real fight, who knows who will win."

Li Ruobing responded with an "mm." She was influenced by Qin Yan's determination and bravery, and couldn't help but feel reassured. With Qin Yan around, she felt like there was nothing they couldn't overcome, no matter how difficult the situation.