372: Chapter 372 I Don't Want to See a Tragedy.

Wei Ziqing stood there, gripping his gun with his back to the Black Bear's corpse, maintaining that cool pose—for about two seconds.

Then, the armor disappeared.

It didn't fade away slowly; it deactivated instantly, like the power had been cut. His plain white clothes were revealed once more, and his legs gave out, causing him to collapse directly toward the ground.

"Holy crap—"

He landed hard on his rear, legs stretched out and hands propping himself up, his face contorted in pain.

"Damn, damn, damn—my legs—they hurt so much—"

The two combat personnel had already rushed over from behind the cover. They grabbed him by the arms from both sides and hoisted him up. Wei Ziqing draped his arms over their shoulders, practically hanging off them.

"Are you okay?" the one on the left asked.

"Are you alright?" the one on the right also asked.

"I'm fine, I'm fine—oh, wait, I'm not—" Wei Ziqing grimaced. "My legs are so sore—ugh—no wonder I can only charge once in this form—the side effects are way too much—ow, ow, ow—"

He lifted one leg and shook it, put it down, and then lifted the other.

"Quick, quick, quick, let me catch my breath. I need to recover."

The two combat personnel exchanged a glance and carried him toward the stairwell. Wei Ziqing was dragged along, his legs scraping against the ground like two limp noodles.

Long Qingyun poked his head out from the stairwell. When he saw Wei Ziqing being carried back, his eyes went wide.

"That was incredible!" he shouted. "That charge just now was so fast I couldn't even see it clearly!"

Wei Ziqing raised a hand and waved it dismissively.

"It was nothing—" he panted. "Nothing at all—"

Long Qingyun ran out of the stairwell and followed beside him, his expression extremely complex. First excitement, then gratitude, and then—

"That was too cool!" he said. "Thank you for saving us!"

Wei Ziqing nodded.

"Furthermore—" Long Qingyun's voice suddenly rose, "Why did you abandon me? Didn't we agree to be actors together? In TV shows, both of us would be able to transform. Why is it that in reality, only you can transform? I want to transform too!"

He looked down at his waist, then at his wrists, and then at his belt—a plain cloth belt with nothing on it.

"I want to transform too—"

Wei Ziqing's ears hurt from the noise, but he truly didn't have the energy to reply.

The two combat personnel carried him to the stairwell entrance and set him down, letting him sit against the wall. One of them stood up and looked at the other.

"I'll go scout the surroundings," he said. "You stay here and keep watch."

The other frowned. "How about I go with you?"

"No," the first one refused flatly. "I'll go alone. If something really happens, at least you'll still be here."

He paused, unclipped a small walkie-talkie from his belt, and gave it a shake.

"I'll use this to contact you. It's short-range communication, so the signal jammer won't affect it. I'll check in every minute to report that I'm safe. If more than a minute passes without word—"

He didn't finish, but the meaning was clear.

The other was silent for a second before nodding.

"Be careful."

"Yeah."

The combat personnel turned and quickly disappeared around the corner of the building.

The remaining one walked back to Wei Ziqing's side and stood firm. His gaze swept over the surroundings, then over the people in the stairwell, and finally landed on the distant ruins.

The stairwell entrance fell silent.

Long Qingyun crouched next to Wei Ziqing, still muttering about transforming. The Psychological Evaluators poked their heads out from the rooms upstairs. Seeing that it was safe, they slowly walked down. Qing Lian followed them down as well.

She didn't walk into the middle of the group.

She stood in the shadows of the stairwell entrance, leaning against the wall with her hands folded in front of her. Her fluffy tail swayed gently behind her. Her amber eyes remained fixed in one direction—

At Long Qingyun.

He was crouching there, gesturing wildly as he spoke to Wei Ziqing, pointing at his waist one moment and at Wei Ziqing's legs the next, his expression alternating between excitement and indignation.

Qing Lian's eyes never left him.

From the top of his head to his shoulders, from his shoulders to his back, and from his back to those moving hands. Her gaze was very light and slow, as if she were looking at something precious that she couldn't bear to look away from.

The Psychological Evaluators nearby were talking in low voices, but she didn't listen. Smoke was still rising from the distant ruins, but she didn't look. Wei Ziqing was saying something, but she didn't pay attention.

She just watched Long Qingyun.

She kept watching.

Soon, nothing unexpected happened.

The combat personnel wasn't gone for long, and there was no cliché plot twist where he didn't return after setting a flag. Ten minutes later, his figure reappeared at the corner of the building, walking quickly toward them. When he reached them, he nodded to the one who had stayed behind.

"The signal jammer has been found. It was on the roof of that abandoned power distribution room on the east side of the residential area. It's been dismantled."

He paused. "The notification has been sent out. Headquarters will send people over immediately to handle the aftermath. Also, I've briefly explained the situation to the nearby residents—without mentioning you guys, of course. I just said a dangerous animal broke in and has been contained."

As he spoke, seven or eight people had already gathered at the stairwell entrance. They were all residents of this building who had been hiding in their rooms, afraid to come out. Now, hearing the commotion, they poked their heads out one by one and slowly made their way down after confirming it was safe. They looked at the three Black Bear corpses in the distance, and at the massive bear with a giant hole in its chest, their expressions extremely complex—fear, relief, and the daze of having survived a disaster.

A white-haired old man walked up to Wei Ziqing, pressed his hands together in a gesture of thanks, and nodded repeatedly.

"Thank you, thank you so much. If it weren't for you all, we would have lost our lives here today."

Several people nearby chimed in, some offering thanks, some saying the authorities were reliable after all, and some saying they would never dare wander around again.

Wei Ziqing leaned against the wall and waved a hand.

"It's what we should do," he said. Then, remembering something, he looked at the combat personnel who had just returned. "By the way, have you heard about any nearby zoo recently acquiring Black Bears or anything?"

The combat personnel blinked and shook his head.

"I'm not sure about that. I haven't heard of any news from the zoos."

"What about a circus?"

A voice interjected from the side. Wei Ziqing turned his head; it was the old man who had just thanked them. He stood there with a furrowed brow, as if trying hard to recall something.

"Sir, do you know something?" Wei Ziqing asked.

The old man took two steps forward and stood before Wei Ziqing.

"If I had to say..." he began slowly, "I recently took my grandson to a circus on the east side of town. It's new, called the 'Great World Circus.' At the time, my grandson insisted on seeing a bear performance, so I took him. There were indeed several Black Bears there, and they were quite large."

He paused.

"If these bears appeared so suddenly without anyone noticing them entering the city, then I think the circus is the most likely source. They were already being transported in; who would know if they brought in a few extra or were missing a few?"

Wei Ziqing's eyes lit up.

"Wow, sir, you're amazing to notice so many details." He offered a sincere compliment before frowning. "However... it really is possible."

The combat personnel looked at him. "Should we go investigate?"

Wei Ziqing shook his head.

"Better not. I haven't recovered yet," he said, looking down at his legs, which were still sprawled on the ground, aching at the slightest movement. "If we're going to investigate, we need to get Lawyer Shen or Brother Lu and the others."

He looked up at the two combat personnel.

"If you two go directly... I'm a bit worried. If there are more big guys like that one just now in that circus, you won't be able to handle them. And if it turns out not to be the case, then all the better."

The combat personnel on the left opened his mouth. "Actually, it's fine, we can—"

"I don't want anyone to be sacrificed," Wei Ziqing interrupted him. His voice wasn't loud, but he was very serious. "I don't want to see anyone die in front of me. I don't like seeing tragedies."

The two combat personnel exchanged a glance and didn't speak further.

"But if we do that, we might miss the opportunity," one of them hesitated but spoke up anyway.

Wei Ziqing shook his head.

"If we miss it, we miss it," he said. "Life is more important than anything else. Isn't it?"

The old man nearby listened and suddenly nodded.

"Yes, I strongly agree," he said, his voice lowering. "Life is more important than anything else."

He fell silent for a moment, looking at the distant Black Bear corpses with a vacant gaze.

"My old comrade-in-arms back then..." he said softly, "was the same way. It's a pity he couldn't live to see this peaceful world."