My fingertip lightly touched the trigger, feeling the cold, hard curve of the metal.

The chaos outside intensified.

The second-in-command's countdown was like a death knell: "Three! Two..."

Just as the word "one" was about to be uttered!

Inside the stone house, behind the crack in the wooden door—bang!!!

The fourth terrifying roar, tearing through the night sky like a thunderclap, suddenly exploded!

The blazing white flames from the gun barrel were like lightning, instantly illuminating the narrow space inside the door crack!

The bullet pierced through the wooden door, tore through the air, and with devastating kinetic energy, accurately struck its target!

Outside the door, the squad leader who was brandishing his sword and spitting as he urged the archers on suddenly jolted!

It was as if someone had struck him squarely in the chest with an invisible giant hammer! The ferocity and rage on his face froze instantly, turning into utter astonishment and bewilderment.

Immediately afterwards, a blinding spray of blood erupted from his chest! The immense impact sent him flying backward, knocking over two archers behind him!

"Uh..." He only had time to let out a short groan before the light in his eyes quickly dimmed. His body crashed heavily to the ground, and a bloody hole the size of a bowl was gushing out blood and fragments of broken internal organs from his chest!

"ah--!"

"It's a monster! Sorcery! A monster is coming!"

"Boss Liu!"

"Only monsters... no! Gods! The gods have punished us!"

Witnessing their leader being instantly killed by an invisible force, his death gruesome, the bandits' already taut strings of fear snapped completely!

The chaos was like a flood that had burst its banks, and it could no longer be contained!

The archer, knocked over, scrambled backward screaming, not even caring that his bow had fallen to the ground.

The surrounding bandits, like a hornet's nest disturbed, retreated in terror, pushing and trampling each other!

Someone dropped their torch, and the flame rolled and went out on the ground.

Some people threw down their weapons, covered their heads with their hands, and squatted on the ground, trembling.

The roar of the second-in-command, Poison Scorpion, was completely drowned out by the massive wave of panic.

"Stay calm! Don't panic!" The second-in-command tried to hold on, but a stray arrow shot out from the hand of some terrified archer, whizzing past his scalp and sending a chill down his spine!

Enraged, he slashed down a henchman who had run into him, blood splattering everywhere. But this only brought the chaos to a brief halt, before an even greater panic erupted!

"Run! The gods are angry!"

"Run!"

"Get out of here!"

Finally, one of the bandits completely broke down, screaming as he threw down his weapon and turned to flee for his life into the darkness surrounding the stronghold!

Like the first domino falling, the rout spread instantly!

Inside the stone house.

Jiang Chan quickly holstered her gun and moved her body close to the cold, rough stone wall, avoiding possible arrow directions.

The firelight outside the door flickered more violently and chaotically, and a huge wave of noise and terrified screams assaulted our eardrums.

Chaos has ensued.

Jiang Chan quickly scanned the room—Hei Feng Sha had already fainted.

An eerie silence suddenly fell outside.

The bandits' shouts faded away, leaving only the crackling of burning torches and the suppressed sobs of villagers in the distance, filled with fear.

She quickly retracted the sniper rifle into her storage space, then grabbed a short knife that a bandit had dropped from the corner and plunged it into Black Wind Demon's throat, ensuring that the villain would never make a sound again.

After doing all this, she took a deep breath and suddenly let out a piercing scream: "Help! Lightning! Lightning is striking!"

The sound echoed inside the stone house and traveled outside through the burning wooden door.

Immediately afterwards, she slammed her head against the wooden door.

She stumbled out of the house, rolled around on the ground a few times, getting covered in dust and blood.

"Help! The gods are angry!" she continued to scream, her voice filled with terror, a stark contrast to her earlier image as a cold-blooded killer.

The scene outside came into view: the bandits had retreated a dozen steps away, holding torches and weapons, but no one dared to step forward.

Their faces were filled with terror, and some even knelt on the ground and kept kowtowing.

The second-in-command, Poison Scorpion, stood at the front of the crowd, his face deathly pale, and the knife in his hand trembling.

Jiang Chan stumbled to her feet, pointing at the burning stone house, her voice trembling: "Heavenly lightning...heavenly lightning struck! They...they were all killed!"

Jiang Chan pretended her legs went weak and knelt on the ground, keeping her head down so they wouldn't see her expression. "I...I don't know what happened...Suddenly there was thunder...a really loud thunder...suddenly their heads...their bodies exploded..."

She deliberately spoke haltingly and incoherently.

"Divine punishment! This is divine punishment!"

"The mountain god is angry!"

"Run! Get out of here!"

Some bandits were so frightened that their legs went weak and they collapsed to the ground.

Just then, a cry suddenly came from the villagers: "It's a deity! It's the Thunder God and Lightning Goddess appearing!"

Jiang Chan raised her head slightly and saw Aunt Zhao and the others kneeling on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly: "Thank you for the divine intervention! Thank you for the Thunder God and Lightning Goddess for punishing these wicked people!"

The other villagers, as if waking from a dream, knelt down and kowtowed towards the stone house, crying out, "The Thunder God and Lightning Goddess have appeared!"

"Thank God!"

This scene terrified the remaining bandits even more.

Some people began to kneel down, while others took the opportunity to escape into the mountains.

The second-in-command, Poison Scorpion, stood still, his expression shifting from terror to despair.

Jiang Chan knew the time had come.

She pretended to be terrified, stood up unsteadily, and walked towards the villagers.

No one stopped her—the bandits were either fleeing for their lives or kneeling on the ground praying.

When she reached the villagers, Aunt Zhao hugged her tightly, crying her heart out: "My daughter! You're so lucky! Even the gods have protected you!"

Jiang Chan let her hug her, her face showing a look of terror as if she had survived a disaster.

In the distance, the last few bandits disappeared into the darkness.

Jiang Chan lowered her head, hiding the cold light in her eyes.

Jiang Chan and Liu Shutun descended the mountain overnight, and it wasn't until late at night that they found a flat place to rest.

In a state between drowsiness and lucidity, those originally blurry memories became clearer and clearer as the night deepened—too clear, so clear it was suffocating.

She opened her eyes and looked at Xiao Tao lying beside her, crying herself to sleep, her breathing somewhat unsteady.

This girl was forced upon her by Granny Sun from Willow Tree Village on the eve of the famine... in exchange for half a rotten pancake...

I shouldn't have eaten that half-eaten, rotten pancake they gave me in the first place!

Free things are always the most expensive!

Now that I've got a burden, the resources in my storage space are being used up even faster!

"system!"

She called out in her heart.

A system panel appeared before her eyes.

The words above made her even angrier—

[System task not triggered, please wait patiently...]