Chapter 84

Listen, the window!

A window framed in wood, with glass embedded, and bathed in sunlight. ●⌒

The warm sunlight dispelled the cold and darkness.

Countless intangible spirits filled the third floor, but not one approached the window near the stairwell, as if there was a natural enemy there.

And there was only sunlight.

Sunlight!

They were afraid of sunlight!

Qin Ran instantly guessed the reason.

Then, still rolling on the ground, Qin Ran used all his limbs to lunge toward the window.

The intangible spirits entangled with Qin Ran noticed his intention and, with sharp whistles, charged at him again.

This time, the speed of the intangible spirits far exceeded any previous attempt.

When Qin Ran was still two meters away from the sunlit ground, he was caught by these intangible spirits.

Moreover, before Qin Ran could roll again, the intangible spirits suddenly emerged from the ground in front of him.

Through the wall?!

Qin Ran was taken aback.

However, he soon realized he was in grave danger.

Intangible spirits blocked his path ahead, and more pursued him from behind, leaving him in a desperate situation.

What should he do?

Qin Ran looked around.

On both sides, the intangible spirits were densely packed.

Without further thought, Qin Ran gritted his teeth and continued to charge forward.

Because he had no choice!

Behind him were numerous intangible spirits, and ahead was the same, but moving forward still offered a glimmer of hope—the area bathed in sunlight.

Like a running leopard, Qin Ran's leg muscles instantly tensed, and he forcefully pushed off the ground.

Whoosh!

His entire body turned into a shadow, rushing toward the sunlit area.

On his left wrist, the black leather bracelet flashed with a dark light.

An invisible force field enveloped Qin Ran's body.

[Plus' Armor]!

A skill derived from the legendary equipment [Plus' Wrist], used for the first time by Qin Ran.

And the legendary equipment [Plus' Wrist] did not disappoint Qin Ran.

The numerous intangible spirits in front of him were no longer invisible; under Qin Ran's [Tracking] vision, they were pushed forward by the force field created by [Plus' Armor].

Qin Ran, pushing through the intangible spirits, felt nothing.

It seemed as if there was nothing in front of him.

But what Qin Ran's eyes saw told him that it wasn't empty; the intangible spirits were just too light, too insubstantial to be felt.

However, this allowed Qin Ran to reach his destination even faster.

In less than a breath, Qin Ran stood in the area bathed in sunlight.

Ah, ah, ah!

Continuous screams of agony echoed in Qin Ran's ears.

He saw the numerous intangible spirits he had 'pushed' into the sunlight emit thick black smoke, then turn to ashes. The intangible spirits chasing Qin Ran stopped, pacing outside the range of sunlight, but dared not cross the line.

This relieved Qin Ran.

However, he did not let his guard down.

He curled his entire body in the sunlight and stared intently at the ground.

The scene of the intangible spirits passing through the wall was still fresh in his mind.

He was worried that the intangible spirits might come through the wall again and launch an attack.

After all, sunlight could not penetrate the concrete floor.

More importantly, his body, intersecting with the sunlight, also cast a shadow.

This could potentially destabilize the situation.

Fortunately, this did not happen.

It was unclear whether the intangible spirits were too unintelligent or whether their instinctive fear of sunlight kept them from crossing the line.

Qin Ran, who was closely watching the ground and quickly recovering his strength, also had a reward!

A crystalline luster was particularly noticeable under the sunlight.

From a cluster of intangible spirits that had turned to ashes, Qin Ran picked up a small, pale blue crystal the size of a fingernail.

[Name: Shattered Soul Crystal]

[Type: Gem]

[Quality: Excellent]

[Attributes: None]

[Can be taken out of the instance: Yes]

[Note: A crystallization of a weak soul! An essential item for enchanting—of course, you also need an enchanting table!]

...

"Enchanting material?"

Qin Ran looked at the item with no attribute description but a detailed note.

Based on his past gaming experience, such items should be very valuable!

"So..."

Qin Ran glanced at the remaining time of the equipment skill [Plus' Armor], which was only about one and a half seconds.

In fact, [Plus' Armor] had a total duration of only 3 seconds and could only be used twice a day.

Given Qin Ran's personality, he would never use it unless absolutely necessary.

But now...

Qin Ran looked at the sunlight under his feet, clenched his right fist, and instantly, electric sparks flashed.

In the next moment, Qin Ran charged out again.

Just as he told the guard Jack—

"I prefer to earn money in a way I like!"

And this was Qin Ran's preferred method.

His fists, casting blue-white electric light, moved like thunder.

One by one, the intangible spirits were pierced and turned to ashes.

More intangible spirits, under the effect of [Plus' Armor], lost their intangible advantage and were either grabbed, dragged, or even forced into the sunlight.

Ah, ah, ah!

The continuous screams of the dissipating intangible spirits were terrifying, making anyone who heard them feel as if they were in a ghostly realm.

But Qin Ran was completely unmoved.

He was fully focused on fighting the intangible spirits!

After [Plus' Armor] expired, he relied entirely on his fists.

When his stamina was about to be exhausted, he retreated to the sunlit area.

Once his stamina was fully restored, he fought the intangible spirits again.

This cycle repeated more than ten times.

The intangible spirits that originally filled the entire third floor were now gone.

Qin Ran also collected 3 more [Shattered Soul Crystals].

Pant, pant!

Looking at the stairwell and third floor, which had returned to normal, Qin Ran, standing in the sunlight, collapsed to the ground.

Although his stamina was fully restored, his spirit was exhausted.

The previous battle with the intangible spirits, despite having the sunlight as a 'shelter,' required Qin Ran to be cautious and careful.

In fact, he was in a state of high alert every second.

Because he knew the consequences of the slightest mistake.

Even so, Qin Ran still had some 'scratches.'

However, compared to Jack, this was fortunate.

One of the murderers who had orchestrated a series of murders had already lost his life, lying stiff and cold on the stairs.

Moreover, the guards in the medical room, who were unconscious, had also lost their lives.

The intangible spirits, upon appearing, had immediately rushed toward these living beings.

Qin Ran felt no guilt over Jack's death.

His actions did not deserve sympathy.

However, among the guards in the medical room, there were innocent victims.

Sigh!

Exhaling, feeling the mental fatigue dissipate, Qin Ran stood up and looked at the medical room on the third floor.

With a hint of regret, Qin Ran shook his head.

It wasn't that he didn't want to save the innocents.

It was just that his abilities were not sufficient to help more people.

Therefore, Qin Ran never considered himself a hero celebrated in poetry, novels, or biographies.

Fortunately, Qin Ran did not set that as his life goal.

A few seconds later, Qin Ran averted his gaze.

He looked at the stairs leading down, unsure if there were still intangible spirits in the building. Therefore, Qin Ran chose a faster and safer way to leave—

Climbing out the window!

Three floors high, for Qin Ran, was no challenge to climb up or down.

The window sills and drainpipes were enough for him to use as footholds.

Like a monkey, Qin Ran quickly landed on the ground.

Then, he immediately saw Lawless and Stanbeck.

Lawless was puffing on a new cigar, while Stanbeck, pale-faced, stood behind him, looking at the main building of Alcatraz Prison with fear and alertness.

Beside them were the warden, the doctor, and a few guards.

"Dead! All dead!"

"What happened!"

"What the hell happened?"

The warden muttered, dazed.

"Jack Ben was an accomplice of Old Tom!"

Qin Ran walked to the warden's side and said.

"What?"

The dazed warden looked up.

However, Qin Ran had no interest in further conversation.

[Side Quest: Hidden Accomplice! (Completed)]

The prompt on his retina was enough for Qin Ran to choose to distance himself from the warden. If not for confirming that the main quest was unrelated, Qin Ran would not have hesitated to eliminate him.

"How was it?"

Lawless asked as Qin Ran approached.

"Not good, the situation was unexpected. At first, I..."

Qin Ran briefly recounted his experience, emphasizing the magic circle.

Then, he pointed to the warden, the doctor, and a few others and asked, "What happened to them?"

"They came to suppress the prisoner riot, ignored my advice, and rushed in! They were immediately surrounded by the intangible spirits. I could only save these few, the rest..."

Lawless shrugged.

The outcome was obvious.

Qin Ran faced danger even against the intangible spirits, let alone ordinary guards, who would have no chance of survival.

"Tsk, Kilfin Hedges is quite a remarkable person, daring to use his own life to activate that magic circle!"

Lawless then said with a tone that seemed both admiring and mocking.

"Do you know that magic circle?"

Although he had guessed that Lawless might know, Qin Ran was still surprised when Lawless confirmed it.

"I'm a veteran player who has completed seven instances!"

"What's so strange about knowing a Demon Great Septagram?"

Lawless said irritably.

" Demon Great Septagram?!"

"What does it do?"

Qin Ran continued to ask.

"Didn't you see it?"

"Using enough blood and flesh to summon and enslave the souls of the dead!"

"Within a certain range, all the dead will become the slaves of the circle's creator!"

"Kilfin Hedges' Demon Great Septagram covers the entire Alcatraz Prison!"

Lawless pointed to the main building of Alcatraz Prison.

In the sunlight, the main building seemed to emit an endless chill, making Stanbeck's face even paler.

"So, we just need to destroy that Demon Great Septagram to complete the main quest?"

Qin Ran asked.

"Of course!"

"If it were night, we'd have some trouble, but in the bright sunlight..."

"Such a main quest is incredibly easy!"

"Let me show you the power of a 'Dragon Slayer'!"

Lawless grinned.

Then, a pair of sunglasses appeared on Lawless' nose.

Under Qin Ran's gaze, Lawless, wearing the sunglasses, easily found the location of Kilfin Hedges' cell.

Next, the [Iron Fist-2] rocket launcher appeared on Lawless' shoulder.

The laser sight of the rocket launcher aimed at the outer wall of the cell.

Whoosh!

The rocket shot straight at the outer wall of the cell.

Boom!

In the fire and explosion, a large hole appeared in the sturdy wall.

Sunlight shone directly into the cell.

A figure appeared faintly in the smoke and dust.

When the face of the figure was fully revealed, both Qin Ran and Lawless' expressions changed simultaneously.