Warning! A hidden dragon has emerged!

Jiang Yao's expression changed drastically.

A large-scale attack by Gu worms is a once-in-a-century event; the slightest carelessness could cause massive casualties and panic among the population.

She immediately gave Song Hongyan a few instructions, then flashed out of the press conference and headed straight for Jincheng Center.

The Jincheng Martial Alliance also received the task of handling the situation, and all the martial artists gathered and rushed towards the center of Jincheng.

Three underground floors, a small, dark room.

Qin Quan was completely unaware of what was happening on the ground floor; at that moment, he was focused on helping Lin Wanrou clear the Gu poison from her body.

Spiritual energy surged from his fingertips and slowly flowed into Lin Wanrou's body. With his movement, Lin Wanrou suddenly spat out a mouthful of black blood.

The moment the black blood hit the ground, it transformed into countless tiny, beetle-like insects that wriggled wildly on the earth.

Qin Quan reacted quickly, immediately throwing out a fire-controlling talisman. A dark blue flame ignited, instantly burning the Gu worms to ashes.

"How are you? Feeling better?"

He caught Lin Wanrou just as she was about to fall, his eyes filled with tenderness.

Upon hearing Qin Quan's voice, Lin Wanrou felt an instant surge of security. The dark blue light in her eyes gradually faded, and her consciousness slowly returned to clarity.

She leaned weakly against Qin Quan's chest and asked in a hoarse voice:

"Qin Quan? What are you doing here? What...what just happened?"

"You were controlled by Qiu Qianren using Gu worms and almost turned into a killing machine."

Qin Quan explained softly as he quickly removed the gold needles from Lin Wanrou's body, his movements gentle, as if afraid of hurting her.

"But don't worry, with me here, no one can hurt you."

"I remember last night a bug shattered the office window, cut my arm, and then I passed out. I don't remember what happened after that."

Lin Wanrou leaned against Qin Quan's chest, her voice weak and her eyes filled with confusion.

"Those are Qiu Qianren's Gu worms. He wants to use your pure Yin body to feed his Gu worms."

Qin Quan looked down at the weak woman in his arms, a sense of lingering fear rising in his heart.

"Luckily I arrived in time. If I had been a step later, not only would you have become food for the Gu worms, but the entire Jincheng, and even the whole of Long Province, would have been invaded by the Gu worms and turned into the stronghold of the Gu Poison Cult."

Given enough blood and qi, the reproductive capacity of Gu worms is terrifying.

Once it's completely opened up, the entire city of Jincheng will fall within half a day.

Not only was Qin Quan terrified, but Lin Wanrou was also so frightened that her face turned pale. Already depleted of her vital energy, she became even weaker, and cold sweat instantly soaked her back.

Fortunately, Qin Quan was there, otherwise she wouldn't even know how she died.

Just then.

suddenly!

The smartwatch on Qin Quan's wrist projected a large image, and Xiao Yi's mechanical voice carried a human-like anxiety.

"Qin Wuhuang, please send reinforcements to Jincheng Center immediately! The shopping mall has been overrun by Gu worms, and countless civilians have been injured. Repeat: Countless civilians are injured; the situation is critical. Send reinforcements immediately!"

Qin Quan's expression changed drastically, and Lin Wanrou in his arms was also shocked.

"That damned Qiu Qianren! To deal with me, he disregards the lives of ordinary people. Today, I will take his dog's life!"

"Never mind Qiu Qianren for now, saving lives is the priority!"

Lin Wanrou forced herself to get up despite her weakened state. Even though she was seriously injured and her vital energy was severely depleted, she was unwilling to watch innocent people suffer.

Qin Quan grabbed her and said in an extremely domineering manner:

"You've exhausted too much of your spiritual energy and essence. I'll take you out first. Leave the things on the first floor to me!"

Before Lin Wanrou could reply, he picked her up in his arms and, his figure transformed into a streak of light, rushed out of the basement.

As soon as the two arrived on the first floor, the scene before them made Qin Quan's heart sink to the bottom.

The entire floor of the shopping mall has long since become a living hell.

Snakes, insects, rats, ants, and venomous insects swarmed and crawled all over every corner. The store's decorations were gnawed to pieces. Everyday goods, high-end clothing, and digital appliances were all damaged. Everywhere was littered with ruins and sticky insect liquid.

The number of casualties was countless, and the cries for help and wails were deafening and heartbreaking.

Some people ran upstairs like madmen, some dragged their bloodied bodies and crawled on the ground with difficulty, and others gripped flamethrowers, fire extinguishers and fire axes, fighting with all their might to defend themselves.

They retreated in a sorry state, but still could not escape the bites of the Gu worms.

Qin Quan didn't have time to think much, nor did he have time to get Lin Wanrou to the safe area.

He picked up a tattered cloth from the ground and tied Lin Wanrou tightly to his back, while throwing out fire-controlling talismans one after another as if they were free.

Boom boom boom!

The talisman ignited spontaneously without fire, the eerie blue flames seemingly coming to life, scorching the surrounding snakes, insects, and rodents, yet precisely avoiding the injured civilians and buildings that were not completely destroyed.

but……

Jincheng Center is too big.

As time went by, the spiritual energy in his body was already almost depleted, and the talismans in his hands were also running out, so the flames could not cover the entire area.

What's even more troublesome is that these Gu worms are like maggots clinging to bones; once they come into contact with a human body and suck blood and flesh, they will multiply wildly, increasing exponentially.

One batch is burned to death here, and even more pop up there. You can't kill them all, you simply can't kill them all.

"Damn it! This can't go on!"

Qin Quan frowned, his heart burning with anxiety.

"The talisman covers too little area, so we can only use array formations and lightning magic. But there are too many people here. If we make a move, the civilians will surely die."

Just as he was caught in a dilemma and in dire straits, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from the entrance of the building.

Immediately, Jiang Yao led over a hundred Hidden Dragon team members, charging in fearlessly.

They were dressed in black dragon robes, holding dragon sparrow knives, their postures upright and imposing, their faces showing no fear whatsoever.

"Quickly rescue people, prioritize evacuating the injured!"

At Jiang Yao's command, her voice was firm and powerful. All the Hidden Dragon team members immediately put on their protective gear and rushed into the dense swarm of Gu worms without hesitation. Even when bitten by the Gu worms and their flesh was torn, not one of them retreated.

Qin Quan felt a mix of emotions as he watched this scene, a mixture of admiration and heartache.

He knew how powerful the Gu worms were; even cultivators would find them difficult to deal with, let alone these martial artists who relied solely on their flesh and blood.

But in order to protect the people, they knew they would die, yet they still rushed to the front lines.

He sincerely admired this fearless sacrifice and selfless dedication.

"Qin Quan!"

As soon as Jiang Yao entered the room, she saw Qin Quan's pale face. She rushed forward, grabbed his arm anxiously, and asked:

"What's wrong? You look terrible."

"He won't die!"

Qin Quan waved his hand, manipulating the fire control talisman, and pointed at the Hidden Dragon team members rushing to the core area, saying:

"The first floor is teeming with Gu worms; charging in like this is tantamount to suicide!"

"I know it's dangerous!"

Jiang Yao's eyes were firm, showing no sign of backing down.

"But the duty of the Hidden Dragon is to protect the peace of the region. Now the country and the people need us. As the person in charge of Jincheng, I must be at the forefront, and so must they."

This isn't official jargon; it's a belief ingrained in her very being: the safety of the nation and its people is paramount.

Looking into her resolute eyes, Qin Quan sighed heavily.

He simply couldn't bear to see these young lives sacrificed in vain.

"I'll use a fire-controlling talisman to clear a path for them. You immediately lead people to move the injured to the third floor, then close all fire doors and guard the passage!"

"What do you want to do?"

Jiang Yao's heart tightened, and a bad premonition arose spontaneously.

"Set up an array to attract lightning."

"Hurry up, there's no time!"

Qin Quan urged sternly, saying that every second of delay would mean the death of an innocent civilian.

Since we're going to save them, let's do everything we can.